The New York Jets have released their first official depth chart of 2018. A few things of note stick out to me. Bilal Powell is second string behind Isaiah Crowell. This seemed inevitable given the team’s comments about not changing Powell’s role over the offseason, and the Jets will probably take a feed the hot hand approach, but it would be cool if for once the best back on the team was listed #1 on the depth chart. As expected given the developments of the preseason Neal Sterling will be the Jets #1 receiving tight end. Eric Tomlinson is listed as first string but he is there mainly to block. Jermaine Kearse is listed as a starter at wide receiver, ahead of Quincy Enunwa. I’m not sure if this is just a gesture of respect for the season Kearse had last year, or a sign of some uncertainty regarding Enunwa’s health, or if the order doesn’t much matter since the top three or four receivers may all be rotating depending on health, opponent and game situations. However, if Jermaine Kearse ends up getting more snaps than Quincy Enunwa when they are both healthy that would be a miscalculation on the Jets part. Enunwa is clearly the more talented and explosive receiver. Derrick Jones is listed behind Juston Burris. This may just be a sign of respect for the veteran over the youngster, but if Burris gets more snaps than Jones that would be a mistake. I’m not sure Burris is even an NFL caliber cornerback. Jones hasn’t yet proved he is either, but I’d like to see him get the opportunity to prove he is this year if the alternative is Burris getting snaps. It’s interesting the Jets list Trenton Cannon as second string at both returner positions. The Jets don’t usually list more than a first string returner. This may be reading too much into that, but it may indicate the plan is to ease Cannon into the role, and Andre Roberts is with the Jets only as long as it takes to get Cannon ready as the primary return man. I’m not quite sure how much to make of the depth chart, as at times it appears the Jets’ coaching staff doesn’t take it very seriously, but for what it’s worth, here it is. What are your thoughts? OFFENSE QB Sam Darnold 2. Josh McCown RB Isaiah Crowell 2. Bilal Powell 3. Trenton Cannon FB Lawrence Thomas OT Kelvin Beachum , Brandon Shell 2. Brent Qvale OG Brian Winters , James Carpenter 2. Dakota Dozier , Ben Braden C Spencer Long 2. Jonotthan Harrison TE Eric Tomlinson 2. Neal Sterling 3. Jordan Leggett 4. Chris Herndon WR Robby Anderson , Jermaine Kearse 2. Quincy Enunwa , Terrelle Pryor 3. Charone Peake , Andre Roberts DEFENSE DE Leonard Williams, Nathan Shepherd 2. Henry Anderson , Folorunso Fatusaki NT Steve McLendon 2. Mike Pennel OLB Josh Martin , Jordan Jenkins 2. Jeremiah Attaochu, Brandon Copeland ILB Darron Lee , Avery Williamson 2. Neville Hewitt CB Morris Claiborne, Trumaine Johnson 2. Buster Skrine , Darryl Roberts 3. Parry Nickerson , Juston Burris , 4. Derrick Jones SS Jamal Adams 2. Terrence Brooks 3. J.J. Wilcox FS Marcus Maye 2. Doug Middleton SPECIAL TEAMS K Jason Myers P Lachlan Edwards H Lachlan Edwards PR Andre Roberts 2. Trenton Cannon KR Andre Roberts 2. Trenton Cannon LS<doc-sep>FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – Two rookies are listed as starters on the Jets’ depth chart for Monday night’s opener against the Lions. One of them is quarterback Sam Darnold. The other has gotten somewhat less attention. That would be defensive lineman Nathan Shepherd, a Canadian who played at Simon Fraser in British Columbia and later Division II Fort Hays State in Kansas before being drafted in the third round by the Jets. Now here he is, slated to line up for the first time on “Monday Night Football.” Could he have imagined being in this position say, a year ago? “I would say back then I kind of went by the idea that you have to fake it until you make it,” he said after practice on Friday. “It might be something you believe inside. You may not share that with everyone you meet, but it definitely was a goal I was working toward, so right now everything is working according to plan.” Shepherd said there was no precise moment at which he thought he might secure a starting role. Rather he just kept showing up for work, and eventually figured out based on practice hierarchy where he stood. On one hand, Shepherd said that despite the magnitude of Monday’s stage, “At the end of the day, it’s still football.” On the other hand, he admitted there will be some nerves. “Most definitely, yeah. That’s a great part of the game, for sure.” Subscribe to Sports Now newsletter By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. Coach Todd Bowles said the team liked what it saw on his college film, and that he has continued to impress since arriving in the spring. Defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers said Shepherd has been “checking all the boxes” for a defensive lineman’s required skill set. Bowles laughed when someone asked him whether Shepherd has the same sort of “even-keel personality” as Darnold. "Shep is completely different,” he said. “A D-lineman and quarterback mindsets are completely different. He's been a joy to coach and to be around. He works hard. He doesn't take a play off and doesn't take a day off and we like that about him.” Shepherd acknowledged the step up from Division II “definitely felt different,” but he credited the coaching staff with preparing him and other rookies for the transition. The 6-4, 315-pounder also credited defensive linemates such as nine-year veteran Steve McLendon. “What I appreciate about some of the veterans, especially Steve, is the standards that they have, and how they’re able to help raise the bar for us every day and just keeping that on our minds,” he said. Shepherd said he is too focused on the present to think about how far he has come, preferring to wait until winter for such thoughts. What does it say about him that he has gotten this far? “I would say that for anyone, whatever you’re doing, sometimes you’re going to have different opportunities to do different things,” he said. “Whatever those opportunities are, make the most of them, because you never know how things are going to pan out for you.”<doc-sep>For our first Inside the Numbers installment of the season, and in honor of rookie quarterback Sam Darnold's starting assignment in Monday night's season opener at Detroit, we're strolling down memory lane to see how other Round 1 quarterbacks have fared in their Green & White debuts. There have been only five other Jets first-round QBs, and in trying to compare big apples to big apples, only one other time did a rookie QB start a season opener. That was a mere nine years ago, when fellow Southern Cal product Mark Sanchez won his pro debut, which was also Rex Ryan's pro head coaching debut, by 24-7 over the Texans in Houston. It's easier said than done to dial up a similar game plan for Darnold and the Jets on Monday, but the plan back on Sept. 13, 2009, is a great model for any rookie. Sanchez threw 31 passes and went unsacked while the Jets also ran 42 times for 190 yards, converted 10 third downs, posted a 462-183 yardage advantage, and won the takeaway battle 2-1. Here's how the other four first-round QBs fared in their first starts, none of which came in Jets openers: Joe Namath, 1965 Times were different in the Sixties, when Namath, despite arriving in New York to much fanfare, didn't play in the season opener by coach Weeb Ewbank's decision, then came on in relief of Mike Taliaferro the next week in the home-opening loss to Kansas City. Namath's first start was Game 3 at Buffalo, a 33-21 defeat in which he completed 19 of 40 for 287 yards, two TDs and two interceptions. His first win as a starter didn't come until Week 9 at Boston, with his first home win following in Week 10 vs. Houston and the legendary George Blanda. Despite the careful rookie season, Joe did play in 13 of 14 games. Richard Todd, 1976 Todd's first year was Namath's last with the Green & White. And similar to Namath's introduction 11 years earlier, Todd played in 13 of the 14 games as a rookie. After the Jets opened 1-6, Todd got his first start in Game 8 at Buffalo and fashioned a 19-14 victory in which his modest line read: 6-of-20 for 87 yards, one TD (to WR David Knight) and two INTs. Ken O'Brien, 1983 Joe Walton was perhaps the most careful of all Jets coaches when provided with a first-round signalcaller. O'Brien, the Jets' 24th overall pick in the '83 draft, did not play a down as a rookie as Todd started all 16 games and backup Pat Ryan saw limited action. Then in '84, Todd was gone, Ryan got the starting nod, and O'Brien didn't even take his first snaps until the final drive of Game 8 vs. Kansas City and didn't get his first start until Game 12 at Houston (19-of-36, 226 yards, 1 INT) and his first starting win until Game 15 vs. Buffalo.<doc-sep>NFL cut down day is over. Now it’s time to form the 10 man practice squad. The Jets and other NFL teams will select 10 players each with practice squad eligibility from among the hundreds of players who passed unclaimed through waivers. We’ll be tracking all of the Jets practice squad signings below as they come in. 2018 New York Jets Practice Squad Brandon Bryant , Safety. Undrafted in the 2018 NFL supplemental draft, Bryant had a strong ending to the preseason. Could be a factor in the safety rotation by next year. Frankie Luvu , OLB. Undrafted free agent in the 2018 NFL draft class, Luvu was a surprise cut. Had a strong camp, at times running with the starters. Might be in the plans as a situational pass rusher of the future. Deontay Burnett , WR. Undrafted free agent in the 2018 NFL draft class, Burnett had a very strong preseason with the Tennessee Titans, catching all eleven passes he was targeted on. Former USC teammate of Sam Darnold . De’Angelo Henderson, RB. A poor man’s Maurice Jones-Drew , and a personal favorite of mine, Henderson is a height challenged running back and a sixth round choice of the Broncos in the 2017 NFL draft. Henderson could challenge for playing time soon. Anthony Wint , ILB. Undrafted free agent from the 2018 NFL draft class. A smallish inside linebacker without much in the way of cover skills. Difficult to see this guy developing into a meaningful contributor. Perhaps could be useful on special teams. Jeremy Clark, CB. A giant cornerback bigger than any safety on the roster, nearly big enough to be a linebacker. Drafted by the Jets in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL draft, Clark spent most of the 2017 season on the sidelines injured. Nico Falah , OL. Undrafted free agent from the 2018 NFL draft class. An undersized center/guard and another USC teammate of Sam Darnold . Falah spent time in the Tennessee Titans camp this preseason. John Wolford , QB. Undrafted free agent from the 2018 NFL draft class. Got some playing time in the fourth preseason game, and also attended Jets rookie minicamp. This one is a puzzler. Wolford showed nothing in the preseason game, was not highly regarded coming out of college, and in my opinion there were a number of significantly better QBs that cleared waivers. Dieugot Joseph , OT. Undrafted free agent from the 2017 NFL draft class. Joseph is a bit undersized, raw, athletic, long armed left tackle project. Originally signed by the Chicago bears, he also spent some time with the Baltimore Ravens and the Minnesota Vikings. A lottery ticket with some raw athletic tools to try to develop into an NFL left tackle. Bronson Kaufusi , DL. A third round pick by the Baltimore Ravens from the 2016 NFL draft class. A bit of a tweener in the Jets defense at 6’ 6”, 275 pounds. Missed the entire 2016 season with a broken ankle. Played three games for the Ravens in 2017. One thing that will never be relegated to a practice squad is the incredible Great American Twitter Widget. You can follow all the Jets related tweets throughout the day below. .<doc-sep>
Todd Bowles and the New York Jets release their official Week 1 depth chart for the 2018 NFL season. The wait is over. Not only are we out of the mystery that August provides, the regular-season rigid schedule that is the National Football League is now firmly entrenched. The feeling hits us hard now that the official Week 1 depth chart has been released. On Tuesday, the New York Jets pushed the chart out per its PR department with little fanfare and few surprises. Listen, it doesn’t matter who’s listed as the starting back. Isaiah Crowell, Bilal Powell and even Trenton Cannon will all receive time. I wouldn’t even be surprised if Cannon eventually takes the chunk of the work during some of the games in which he catches fire on a run or two. While his one-cut vision within the zone scheme leaves a ton to be desired, his raw talent is better than anybody at the position on the chart. At widout, Jermainse Kearse over Quincy Enunwa means very little. Both Enunwa and Kearse can play the slot in the 11 personnel look. Neal Sterling, for all intents and purposes, is the No. 1 receving tight end. The only question that remains is whether or not Enunwa plays a lot of the Y in three wideout looks. In this case, Enunwa, Kearse, Robby Anderson and Terrelle Pryor will all be split out wide with no tight end on the field. Defensively, young Nathan Shepherd is the official starter alongside Leonard Williams and Steve McLendon in the interior of the D. Buster Skrine is obviously the third and slot corner, but who’s No. 4? It appears as though that slot is all Darryl Roberts. When the D goes big nickel or big dime, who is that third safety, Terrence Brooks or Doug Middleton? Seeing J.J. Wilcox third string might be the most surprising aspect of the initial chart. For now, Dan Bailey remains unsigned. Jason Myers remains the kicker. The New York Jets officially open the 2018 NFL season on Monday Night Football as they travel to Detroit to take on the Lions.