(Image credit: Vincent Carchietta/USA Today Sports)
Written by: Nicholas Mullick
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-mullick-354076184/
The final preseason for the game was a success even though the New York Jets tied with the Philadelphia Eagles at Metlife Stadium 31-31. This brings the New York Jets preseason record to 2-0-1 and the Philadelphia Eagles fell to 0-2-1. There were many players that impressed me and others that were disappointing in this game. In this list, I will go through five players that both were impressive and disappointing.
1. Player that Impressed - QB James Morgan
Out of all the players in the QB room, James Morgan absolutely needed to have a strong game to have a chance of making the 53 man roster or even a practice squad spot on any roster. My goodness did he perform well in this game. Especially with the two touchdowns that he threw to Kenny Yeboah. The second touchdown was a hail mary which led to the Jets game-tying score. Morgan even was solid moving around in the pocket and was smooth with his footwork. He did have an interception in this game but it was mainly due to poor officiating by the refs. Lawrence Cager clearly caught the football and should have been ruled down by contact yet the refs ruled a pick by Kevon Seymour. It was absolutely ridiculous that that call was made but it was in a preseason game and I will let it slide. James Morgan with this performance definitely impressed and could be in the discussion for a roster spot or a place on the New York Jets practice squad.
2. Player that Disappointed - TE Chris Herndon
Herndon needed to have a strong performance against the Eagles in order to solidify his spot on the roster. Herndon once again did not perform well. Again he failed to flash and show improvement. He is not getting any better in the preseason and has gotten worse in blocking, running routes, and awareness to the point where he looks lost. All that's missing from last year is the weekly habit of drops and fumbling the football. Herndon has not been targeted that much in the preseason which goes to show the confidence level that the quarterbacks have in him and his struggle to get open on receiving plays. I would not be shocked if the Jets make the decision to move on from Herndon in the next few days. Again I have to ask, why is he the starting tight end again?
3. Player that Impressed - QB Josh Johnson
It was a complete surprise that Josh Johnson did not perform against the Green Bay Packers. He needed to showcase that he still has the talent to play football. The journeyman quarterback may be 35 years old but my goodness he still has what it takes to be a quarterback in the NFL. He has nice footwork and moves smoothly in and out of the pocket. He had a nice throw on 4th down in the red zone to Lawrence Cager which resulted in a touchdown for the team. He is very dependable as a quarterback on the roster. Josh Johnson has made the decision a little tougher on who will be the backup QB to Zach Wilson.
4. Player that Disappointed - OL Dan Feeney
The offensive line was not the best against the Philadelphia Eagles. The offensive lineman that struggled the most was Dan Feeney. He had a difficult time opening up holes for the running backs including Michael Carter. Feeney has to do a better job protecting the quarterback as he often misses defenders which leads to a QB hit and sometimes a sack. While rewatching the Eagles game I noticed that he is poor with his hand usage and can be at times sloppy with his footwork. He has throughout the preseason been inconsistent which is the biggest negative with him in my opinion. I wouldn't say his spot on the roster is a lock and it will be interesting if the Jets decide to keep or cut Dan Feeney.
5. Player that Impressed - RB Josh Adams
A lot of fans were heavily impressed with how Ty Johnson performed due to him scoring a touchdown and making solid runs. They have a point. Ty Johnson did do well but I was more impressed with how Josh Adams performed against the Philadelphia Eagles. Fun fact this is actually a revenge game for Josh Adams as the Eagles were the first team he played on during his rookie season. He had nice runs and had strong hands with some of the catches that he made. The play that heavily impressed me was on the 2 point conversion at the end of the fourth quarter. This is the play where he showcased his power running abilities as he powered through the defense to score the 2 point coverage. The question to ask now is, was his performance vs the Philadelphia Eagles enough to earn a spot on the roster or practice squad for the New York Jets? Remember he did not perform well vs the New York Giants and did not have a carry against the Green Bay Packers.
6. Player that Disappointed - DE/EDGE Jabari Zuniga
What a surprise, Jabari Zuniga once again disappointed us. He once again failed to make an impact in this game and did not even record a tackle. This has been extremely consistent throughout the preseason for Zuniga. He is not even hurt and has struggled to put pressure on the quarterback and being a run stopper. I'd be shocked if Zuniga makes the roster at this point. Oh by the way I want to remind everyone that the New York Jets and General Manager Joe Douglas wasted a third-round pick on Jabari Zuniga.
7. Player that Impressed - TE Kenny Yeboah
Kenny Yeboah did not perform well against the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers. He absolutely needed to shine against the Philadelphia Eagles and he conquered that mission as he was the player of the game for the New York Jets. He had a total of 4 catches for 100 yards and caught two touchdowns. The first touchdown showcased his improvements in running smoother routes and has clearly cleaned up his footwork. This was a strong positive but Yeboah was not done as he scored the game-tying touchdown on a hail mary throw by James Morgan where he showcased his strong hands and leaping ability when making the catch for the touchdown. To me, I think Yeboah earned a spot on either the 53 man roster or the Jets practice squad.
8. Player that Disappointed - LB Jamien Sherwood
In a lot of my articles, I have given a lot of praise to the experimental players Jamien Sherwood and Hamsah Nasirildeen. In the game vs the Eagles, they both did not perform well and took a step back in their development. Out of the two players, Sherwood performed a lot worse than Nasirildeen did. Especially, Sherwood, as he missed tackles and on occasion, couldn't finish well-read plays. Especially with the biggest missed tackle he made was on Eagles RB Boston Scott who would score a big touchdown on the play. Now Sherwood is a rookie and is going to have growing pains throughout his rookie season. The question is, how will Sherwood bounce back and learn from the mistakes he committed against the Philadelphia Eagles?
9. Player that Impressed - DT Foley Fatukasi
The defense mainly struggled throughout the final preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The one player that was impressive was Foley Fatukasi. What impressed me was his pass-rushing abilities. Especially as he provided pressure to the quarterback and even sacked Joe Flacco. His true value is a run-stopper as he made solid tackles. Once he left the field the running backs ran all over the defensive line up the middle. There is always a reason why I call him a hidden gem on this defense and I am excited to see him perform in the regular season.
10. Player that Disappointed - CB Isaiah Dunn
All the hype for Isaiah Dunn has hit a bottom low as he performed terribly vs the Philadelphia Eagles. Isaiah Dunn once again made the same mistakes he made against the Packers. He continued to struggle in coverage and even missed some easy tackles. Dunn also is extremely sloppy with his footwork and it showed a lot. Especially on the J.J. Arcega-Whiteside touchdown as he was sloppy with his footwork and was poor in coverage. Isaiah Dunn needed to improve against the Eagles and he did not. It has hurt his chances of making the 53 man roster.