(Photo: US Presswire)
By: Ryan Alfieri, Editor
Per NFL rule, every team in the NFL has released its first depth chart of the season. The first release is always interesting, because we get to see whether or not player X has lived up to the preseason hype in their first week of training camp.
In other words, this is the first time where coaches have to show their cards, but a lot can still change between now and the start of the regular season, especially with four preseason games left to be played.
Here are the surprises from the depth chart, which can be seen at nyjets.com.
Slauson beast out Vlad: It looks like working Vlad into the starting lineup was nothing more than a last-ditch attempt to see if they can get something out of the former second-round pick after all.
12 Players on defense: Interestingly enough, the Jets have listed three starters at safety: Bell, Landry, and good ol’ Eric Smith. Their reasons for doing this are unknown, but perhaps they view Smith as a starter because of how often he will see the field in sub-packages.
Stephen Hill keeps his job: Despite being pushed by the likes of Chaz Schilens and Patrick Turner, Hill is still penciled in as the starter opposite Santonio Holmes.
Coples is demoted: Since the start of training camp, the Jets have scaled back on Coples’ workload, which includes taking him out of the starting lineup in favor of veteran Mike DeVito. The Jets want to use Coples as a situational rusher, and slowly insert him into more run situations as he develops.
Where is Austin Howard? The Jets tried out Howard at right tackle after the Otah deal fell through, and apparently they didn’t like what they saw. Howard is not even listed as a backup right tackle, Stephon Heyer is. Instead, Howard is listed as the third backup left tackle, which is a position that does not exist on most 53-man rosters.
D’Anton Lynn on the move: Lynn is listed as a safety, which certainly makes sense when you consider his background as a pure zone cornerback. The son of running backs coach Anthony Lynn, the Jets are going to do everything they can to justify keeping him around.
Tags: depth chart, new york jets, vladimir ducasse
