Players to watch in Jets first preseason game

Photo Credit: Jetsxfactor.com

The New York Jets will be playing their first preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles today to open the 2022 campaign. After what has been an exciting offseason with the additions that they made, we are going to finally see them on the field for the first time this year. Expectations are high for this team as they look to make that next step in this rebuild, although they aren’t legit contenders like everyone else. We expect them to be playing meaningful games in the months of November and December. For them to achieve that goal, we need to see these players take that next step as well as the new additions making an impact also. Here are some of the players to keep a close eye on in this game:

1. Zach Wilson: This is a no brainer here because everything starts with him, and the way his offseason went. Fans should expect to see Wilson taking a huge leap this year, especially with the weapons that are around him now. Unlike Darnold, Joe Douglas did an excellent job surrounding his quarterback with weapons. Therefore, there are no excuses for Wilson and we need him to take that jump. What I expect from him tonight with the limited series that he will play, is for him to drive down the field and end it with touchdowns. 

2. Carl Lawson: After missing the entire 2021 season, we will get to see Lawson in a Jets uniform for the first time. When the Jets signed him last year, we knew the type of player he was going to be for this team. Up until he got hurt, Lawson was living up the hype. Now we get the chance to see him debut tonight as a New York Jet.

3. Jermaine Johnson, Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson: I am really excited to see these guys play, all three of them need to make an impact for this team. Based on the reports, they were having a really strong camp. Now we get to see them in a real game time action against another team.

4. Chuma Edoga/Max Mitchell: After Mekhi Becton went down for the year again, the Jets seem to be thin at the Tackle position of the offensive line. Despite the fact that they signed Duane Brown Thursday, we need these guys to step up in case Brown or Fant go down for injury. Rookie Max Mitchell is having a good camp but is still raw and we need to see how he does in live game action. Edoga has been with the team for awhile and hasn’t taken that leap like we had hoped, but he will get another crack at it. 

    As we know the preseason is meaningless, nothing counts during this time period because we will only see bits and pieces of things. But for everyone that is not going to be a starter, the preseason helps the players solidify a spot on the roster. As for the rest of the roster, it helps build chemistry and make sure that they are on the same page. We need to see how these guys play out and it will start tonight.