This NY Jets veteran must be on 53-man roster after dominant preseason

The NY Jets were going to be deep at edge rusher with or without Haason Reddick, but the 2024 preseason has shown what an embarrassment of riches they have at the position. Undrafted free agents Braiden McGregor, Eric Watts, and Leonard Taylor all look like players worthy of a 53-man roster spot, but New York can't keep all of them in town.

One of the main reasons some of these players will likely be headed to the practice squad is a very impressive group of veterans taking up space ahead of them. Perhaps no veteran helped their stock more this summer than former first-round pick Takk McKinley, who is eyeing an NFL comeback after playing four games in the last two seasons.

McKinley may have always had a leg up on some of the other players due to his history as a speedy pass-rush specialist, but he reminded everyone of his quality in the preseason finale against the New York Giants. McKinley picked up two sacks of Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito in the brutal 10-6 win.

With 2.5 sacks to his name and that same blend of speed that made him a star out of UCLA, it seems impossible to imagine a world where the Jets don't keep McKinley on the roster.

Takk McKinley seemingly locks up Jets roster spot after dominant preseason

McKinley, picked 26th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, tallied 17 sacks in four seasons with the Falcons, as he never became the true edge-setter Atlanta expected. After quick links up with the Browns and Rams, McKinley looked like a player who was at the end of his line.

Instead, the Jets are willing to let him use his natural speed as a wide-nine rusher that can get to the quarterback. Even after he lost a little bit of his raw physical talent, that speed and burst are still impressive enough to consistently beat NFL tackles.

While McKinley may not get a ton of sacks if Reddick rejoins the team, and he will likely be behind Will McDonald in the overall pass rush rotation, Robert Saleh's propensity for rotating defensive linemen will ensure that he gets on the field.

The fact McKinley performed as well as he did makes him one of the feel-good stories of the preseason. He could add to his goodwill by becoming a player the Jets simply would be stupid to cut loose.

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