The New York Jets play the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night this week and it will be a critical moment for some players to showcase their talent on a roster that lacks depth. We’ll see the starters play about a quarter Thursday night and continue to show their potential. Some things to keep an eye on for this game will be the starters in the secondary, new kicker Taylor Bertolet and a couple young emerging receivers.
What will the secondary look like?
The New York Jets secondary has been decimated by injuries over the past week with Trumaine Johnson and Kyron Brown both falling to hamstring injuries. The starting cornerbacks for Thursday will most likely be Darryl Roberts and Arthur Maulet. The Jets are thin at corner after releasing Derrick Jones earlier this week. It’s gotten so bad that Jamal Adams has offered to play both corner and safety for the team. The Jets have a couple more weeks until the regular season but who knows how much longer they can go without having any depth at corner.
Give us more
Sam Darnold is like a drug, his presence on the field is so addictive to Jets fans that we can’t get enough. When Sam Darnold is on the field it feels like the past 50 years of incompetence and ineptitude get erased. Darnold is the savior of the team. On Thursday night Jet fans will get a bigger dose of Darnold in the new offense and we all can’t wait.
Who is Taylor Bertolet?
The New York Jets new kicker Taylor Bertolet was signed shortly after Chandler Catanzaro announced his retirement Sunday morning. Taylor Bertolet played for Texas A&M where he set the record for most PATs in a season. Bertolet was on the roster last preseason until he lost his position to Jason Meyers. As of right now, Bertolet is the only kicker on the roster, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Jets bring in an experienced veteran to compete with him.
Stars in the making?
New York Jets wide receivers Deontay Burnett and Greg Dortch both flashed potential against the Giants with the latter scoring a touchdown. Everyone knows Deontay Burnett from his time in USC acting as Sam Darnold’s safety blanket but not many know of Dortch. The rookie receiver from Wake Forest came onto the scene as being the potential replacement for kick returner after Andre Roberts left, but his string of good practices and games might land him a bigger role on offense. If both receivers continue to shine, the New York Jets will have a much deeper receiver room than previously thought.