Jets stock report after minicamp: Wide receiver depth chart takes shape, position battles to watch

New York Times

a day ago

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — In the days of Robert Saleh, Day 3 of minicamp was usually canceled, or at least transformed into some sort of team-bonding activity to close things out before players left for the summer.
Aaron Glenn's version of that? A lighter practice. Nothing was canceled. On Thursday, the Jets warmed up, ran a walkthrough for team drills, conducted some individual drills and even made time for some fun — no games, just offensive linemen running routes and attempting to catch some passes down the field. Most of them dropped it or misjudged the ball in the air and missed it. Left tackle Olu Fashanu attempted a one-handed catch and failed. Center Josh Myers was one of the few to haul it in.
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'I've been a part of a team where we used linemen to catch passes,' Glenn said after practice, smiling. 'That's going to be a work in progress.'
Glenn's emphasis through spring workouts, OTAs and minicamp has not been as much on the physical side of things — that's hard to do this time of the year when there's no hitting or tackling — but on the mental side and, most importantly, the competitiveness. Or, as Glenn calls it, the 'competes.' His practices aren't, and won't be, easy; Glenn intends to work on tackling and incorporate it into team drills during training camp, which is not as common in the modern NFL.
That's why cornerback Michael Carter II was surprised to find out the Jets were going to be having a lighter practice on Thursday — they haven't really done much of that yet.
'I was surprised a little bit because it's (usually) one way and he demands us to be the best players but also to trust the process and in return he'll take care of us,' Carter said. 'That's what happened today. I'm super grateful for that. But that's how it is. It's going to be hard work, and in return, as long as you trust the process, all the benefits will come with that.'
Culture has been the word of the day since Glenn took over, as it often is when a new coach comes into the fold. Early signs are that the team is, largely, buying into his message, though that won't really be known until the season starts. Still, Glenn said the Jets had around 91 percent attendance throughout the offseason program, notable considering, he said, he's never coached a team that had more than 80 percent attendance. Attendees included cornerback Sauce Gardner and wide reciever Garrett Wilson, both seeking (and deserving) new contracts, and both participating for most (Gardner) or all (Wilson) of the offseason program.
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'I just wanted to show my teammates, my coaches, how much I'm bought into this,' Gardner said. 'I want to win. I want to be part of change in the organization.'
Glenn said linebacker Quincy Williams approached him during practice and told him: 'The reason I knew that things were changing is because there was no b—-ing about anything as far as how we do things.'
Glenn added: 'Because we are doing things different.'
This isn't the same Jets team as the last few years. The approach is different. Whether it works, or the new culture actually takes hold, won't really be known until the games start. For now, this is just offseason chatter.
Much of what transpired on the field in OTAs and minicamp won't ultimately matter either — it's difficult to evaluate some positions, like offensive linemen, when there's such limited contact — but there was still plenty to take away from the Jets' spring. Certain players on the roster bubble have emerged with a chance to stick around, while others have a lot to prove if they're going to play, start or make the roster at all.
Now that the spring is over — let's take stock of who helped themselves, and who didn't.
(Note: quarterback Justin Fields isn't listed because his stock is neither up nor down — he's shown flashes of tantalizing talent mixed in with some inconsistencies that he's shown throughout his career. The talent, and athleticism, is obvious, but training camp will be a more apt time to evaluate him.)
start your morning with some @GarrettWilson_V juice 🧃 pic.twitter.com/WD0pC4Bwgc
— New York Jets (@nyjets) June 12, 2025
Wilson is always going to stand out in this setting — and for good reason. He was the best player on the field for all the spring practices open to the media. He made some highlight-reel catches, rarely (if ever) dropped any of Fields' passes, and made it clear that no ball is really uncatchable as long as his quarterback can get it into his general area.
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One of Wilson's superpowers has always been his ability to improvise on routes in order to get open — something that was a point of contention with Aaron Rodgers — and the new staff is working to highlight that skill while also toeing the line of making sure Wilson is where Fields expects him to be on any given play.
'He's continuing to improve every single day and learn the way that we want to run the routes all the time without taking his creativity away,' offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand said, 'just him learning when he needs to be in certain places at certain times because that's where the quarterback expects him to be. But yeah, he's making some catches now. He had one the other day, he had one last week. He's clearly an elite athlete and we're looking forward to him continuing to get a hold and a grasp of this offense and take it to the next level.'
The Jets don't have an obvious No. 2 option in the passing game outside of running back Breece Hall. It would not be a surprise at all if Wilson set a team record for targets and receptions in 2025 — Brandon Marshall holds both record (173 targets, 109 receptions), set in 2016.
The previous Jets staff went out of their way to hype up Corley after trading up to draft him in the third round last year. They pointed out that they tried trading up into the second round to get him — and even that they had him ranked ahead of Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr., picked in the first round.
Once Corley got to the NFL, the Jets discovered pretty quickly he wasn't ready to make an impact as a rookie; he required a lot of development in terms of route running and in his maturity. He barely played as a rookie, then the front office and coaching staff that drafted him was fired and replaced, other than wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson.
The spring couldn't have gone much worse for Corley. He suffered an injury early in OTAs and didn't practice with the team again, instead working off to the side with trainers most days. Glenn and Engstrand have made it clear he has a long way to go before they'll be ready to use him this season — and he's fallen behind the other receivers he's competing with for playing time, specifically Tyler Johnson, Xavier Gipson and rookie Arian Smith.
'We have a ways to go to really try to figure out exactly where we're going to place him because he's been in-and-out,' Glenn said. 'That's just what it is. There's a plan for him.'
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Added Engstrand: 'That's a great question, really for him to ask, 'How do I get myself mentally caught back up because I wasn't able to get the physical reps this spring?' And ultimately, that's going to be what it is, because the other guys do, they have a handful of practices ahead of him and those physical reps. So, he's going to have to find a way to catch himself up with that stuff.'
The Jets will likely use a rotation of receivers around Wilson, but the early front-runner to take over as the No. 2 receiver is the lone player the team added this offseason who has ties to Glenn and Engstrand from Detroit. The Jets value Reynolds' willingness as a blocker and he's built a connection with Fields early on — especially on an impressive touchdown pass in the back of the end zone during Wednesday's minicamp practice. Allen Lazard appears to be behind Reynolds in the pecking order though he'll still play a role, specifically in the running game.
Gipson was a fun story to follow as an undrafted rookie who fought his way onto the roster and then scored on a game-winning punt-return touchdown in his first game in 2023. He hasn't been able to find that magic again, and he's been a non-contributor as a wide receiver on offense too. It leaves him vulnerable heading into training camp, especially as another undrafted rookie (see below) has emerged to push him. Gipson is still the frontrunner to be the team's punt returner, but it's far from a lock.
The undrafted rookie from South Alabama, listed at 5-foot-8 and 175 pounds, has emerged as a legitimate threat at returner — and he's made some plays as a receiver too, catching a bomb from Adrian Martinez during team drills on Thursday. Special teams coordinator Chris Banjo called Pritchett 'dynamic.'
'I think he's been doing a good job with his decision making,' Banjo said. 'He's showing continued progress on a day-to-day basis and another guy who's also willing and loves to compete as well. So, if [he] continues to put those things together and string those things along, it could end up being good or him.'
When last season ended, it was assumed that the Jets were locked in at four of their five offensive line spots and that they'd add a new starter at right tackle. They did do that last part — drafting Armand Membou in the first round — but the other four starters aren't quite locked in. Myers and Tippmann are in a legitimate competition to start at center, one that will presumably extend into training camp. Myers has more experience (56 starts) though Tippmann showed some flashes as the full-time starter at center last year. It will be something to track in July.
The Jets' 2023 first-round pick is coming off a breakout campaign with 10.5 sacks, and he'll need to be even better in 2025 — or at least more well-rounded. He's a dynamic pass rusher but still has room to improve as a run stopper. A point of emphasis from the previous coaching staff was McDonald bulking up and learning to win with more power — and it sounds like he's doing both. Glenn said McDonald added 15 pounds of muscle, and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said he's been impressed with his improvement in the running game. Since defensive end Jermaine Johnson isn't practicing yet — and it's unknown how he'll look coming off an Achilles injury -— the Jets will need McDonald to be more than just a pass rusher.
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'He's pretty stout when it comes to anchoring and setting the edge in the defense,' Wilks said. 'The thing that he needs to be consistent with is understanding his gap and maintaining that.'
The Jets are severely lacking for depth at defensive end but Weaver stood out in the spring, winning a lot of his battles against both the starting offensive tackles and the backups. After Johnson and McDonald, there's room for someone to emerge and get more playing time in sub packages — Micheal Clemons is the only other defensive end that can be safely assumed is ahead of him in the rotation. Weaver had 5.5 sacks in 2022 but zero since as he's bounced around the league, but the Jets clearly see some untapped potential.
These are the three undrafted defensive linemen who made the team out of training camp a year ago. Taylor showed the most promise as a rookie (1.5 sacks, four tackles for loss) but all three have struggled to stand out and push ahead of the veterans the Jets signed this offseason.
He was drafted by the Patriots in 2019 but has only been a full-time starter at defensive tackle one season (2020) in the NFL. Cowart has since bounced around the NFL but played fairly well for the Bears last year in a rotational role (2.5 sacks) and looks like the most likely starter next to Quinnen Williams on the Jets defensive line at the moment. He created pressure throughout OTAs.
'He's a man amongst boys,' linebacker Jamien Sherwood said. 'When he comes out onto the practice field, his presence is felt and I admire the way he works.'
The rookie third-round pick hasn't gone against Fields much but he stood out in most of the team drills open to the media, making plays on the ball and holding his own in coverage against some veteran wide receivers. He was considered more of a project coming out of college, but it will be interesting to see if he can build on a strong spring.
It's too early to fret about Stephens, who has often been tasked with covering Wilson — a tough assignment for any cornerback. But the same things he was criticized for in Baltimore, so far, have shown up for the Jets: He maintains tight coverage but sometimes struggles to get his head turned around in time to break up a pass. The Jets staff believes in his tools, and he'll have more opportunities to prove himself during training camp.