Over the course of today, we’ll be breaking down the performance of every player that took the field in the Jets’ preseason game against the Eagles. We’ll continue now with the defense and look at special teams later on.
Defensive Tackles – Page Against the Machine
Despite the two trades during the week, it was surprising to see Derrick Nnadi and Leonard Taylor III not only starting the game but playing deep into the fourth quarter.
Nnadi had one pressure and mixed results in the running game but with a limited impact overall. He was in on a couple of stops near the line but blocked out of a few plays, including one long run where he was driven back off the line.
By contrast, Taylor had a quiet first half although he was in on one stop for a short gain. In the second half, he was penetrating on a regular basis, though. He had at least three plays that he basically blew up although others made the tackle.
Taylor is a good penetrator but less adept at standing up to a double team. With Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs both being tough to move in the trenches, it would seem that he might complement them better than Nnadi, who basically offers the same thing as Phillips and Briggs but not as well at this stage of his career. Of course, there may not be room for either.
Undrafted rookies Payton Page and Fatorma Mulbah each had some good moments and look to have potential and be worth keeping but it may have to be via the practice squad.
Page had a sack and a pressure and impressed a couple of times penetrating against the run but was also sealed off three times.
Mulbah was credited with a tackle for loss but this was a cheap one, as the quarterback tripped handing the ball off. However, he bottled up a couple of other runs and twice bull rushed his man impressively to draw a hold and generate a pressure.
(Jay Tufele, Harrison Phillips, Jowon Briggs, Quinnen Williams and Byron Cowart did not play).
Defensive Ends – Fletch Lives
Rookie Tyler Baron got the start and flashed a few times this week as he had a couple of pressures, shed a block to get in on a run stuff and penetrated well on another play. He was blocked out of two runs though. It’s likely he could be inactive most weeks if they roster him.
Braiden McGregor was the other starter and made an impact as a pass rusher this week, as he had a sack and a handful of pressures, including one off a nice inside move.
Eric Watts had an interesting game as he was twice blocked to the ground, but had an impressive play on the edge where he penetrated upfield to blow up a run for a loss.
Kingsley Jonathan had one pressure and was in on a run stuff but he got sealed inside on one outside run.
Finally, Michael Fletcher once again made the most of his playing time by tipping a pass into the air, cleaning up on two tackles for loss and recording a couple of pressures. He was blocked out of one run on the edge.
(Jermaine Johnson, who is on the PUP list, Micheal Clemons and Will McDonald did not play).
Linebackers – Sirmon Delivered
Interestingly, Jamin Davis, who had been starting, played with the reserves this week while Marcelino McCrary-Ball, who was listed as a starter but previously played with the backups, did not play. Davis didn’t really do anything to stand out, although he was in on two tackles near the line. He was sealed off on one run.
Zaire Barnes wasn’t perfect but he led the Jets with seven tackles and made a couple of splashly plays including a big hit for a loss and a pass breakup. He was also in on a couple more plays near the line and had a pressure and a tackle short of the marker on third down. He had one missed tackle and overran a couple of plays.
Kiko Mauigoa also started but his performance was much less convincing. He kept getting blocked out of plays at the second level and gave up a first down in coverage. He did make a tackle near the line cleaning up near the end of the game.
On one play, both Mauigoa and Barnes covered the back coming out of the backfield which left the tight end wide open on the other side for an easy first down. That was obviously a blown coverage but obviously we can’t say for sure whose fault that one was.
UDFA Boog Smith flashed a couple of times this week as he broke up a pass over the middle and was in on a stop behind the line. He also had a couple of pressures, albeit that he was unblocked each time. There is still a question over his awareness, though, highlighted by this play where he vacated the middle of the field to leave a huge cutback lane.
Jackson Sirmon almost had a big moment this week as he jumped a route but couldn’t come up with the interception. That was still a good pass breakup though, and he was also in on a stop behind the line.
(Quincy Williams, Jamien Sherwood and McCrary-Ball did not play and Ja’Markis Weston was only used on special teams).
Cornerbacks – Go Stig or Go Home
Qwan’tez Stiggers and Jarrick Bernard-Converse were the starters at cornerback this week and held up well. Stiggers gave up one first down in coverage but also made a third down tackle short of the marker and disrupted a long throw over near the sideline. Bernard-Converse gave up two first downs but was in position on four incompletions, including one where he dropped a potential interception.
UDFA Jordan Clark has a decent chance to be on the roster as the backup slot cornerback (ignoring the fact that Isaiah Oliver might be the backup everything in this secondary). He made a good play in coverage and a tackle short of the marker on third down. He also had a nice quarterback hit and the only other catch he gave up was also shy of a first down.
Mario Goodrich had four tackles, including a good open field tackle on a screen pass but also had a pass interference penalty on a deep ball.
By far the busiest cornerback this week was Jarius Monroe, so it’s perhaps not surprising that he suffered a calf injury and then a hamstring injury to put his status in jeopardy.
While he was credited with two passes defensed, it could have been four as he made a diving attempt to get a finger on two balls that were dropped. He was very lucky on one of these, though, as he gambled and it could have gone for a touchdown if caught cleanly. He also had a pressure and a third down stop short of the marker, but he best showcased his safety mentality on this physical play.
(Sauce Gardner, Deuce Carter, Brandon Stephens, Kris Boyd and Azareye’h Thomas did not play)
Safeties – There’s Moore where that came from
Oliver and Malachi Moore were the starters at safety this week and while the veteran Oliver was quiet, Moore made a huge impact. He had six tackles, including a tackle for loss, and an interception. He nearly had another interception too.
Moore wasn’t perfect, as he missed a tackle and was beaten in coverage once albeit that the pass was dropped. However, this was the first time he really showcased his full skill-set. There seems to be a growing campaign online for him to replace Tony Adams in the starting lineup. It may be soon for that but with Adams and Andre Cisco only under contract for this year, he’ll probably be there by this time next year.
Last week’s big winner, UDFA Dean Clark, fell back to earth a bit this week as he gave up a first down in coverage, had a missed tackle and was called for pass interference. He was in on one stop near the line.
Finally, Tanner McCalister also saw action. He was in on two run stops near the line, although in each case the runner picked up a first down in a short yardage situation.
(Cisco and Adams did not play).
We’ll be back with more on the special teams later…