Tag: Ashtyn Davis

6 takeaways from the Jets’ Week 15 loss to the Dolphins

The Jets jumped out to a 10-0 lead over the Dolphins, but didn’t do enough to parlay that into a Week 15 win. Takeaways from the action:

The Jets seemed poised to avoid a season sweep at the hands of the Dolphins, jumping out to an early 10-0 lead and dominating in every facet of the game.

Then Miami kicked it into gear and bounced back for a 31-24 win. Brandin Echols knotted things up at 24 with a pick-six midway through the fourth quarter, but the Dolphins got back in the end zone on their next drive and Zach Wilson didn’t have enough time in the pocket to get anything going.

Here are six takeaways from Gang Green’s third straight loss.

Denzel Mims among 6 Jets who need to step it up in final 4 games

These six Jets players need to do all they can to make a positive impression in the team’s final four regular season games.

The Jets are stuck in the AFC East basement with a 3-10 record, but it is crunch time for certain players on the roster.

The final four games of 2021 could go a long way in determining which players are retained for the second year of the Robert Saleh era. New York would like to see a player such as Zach Wilson play better to end the season, but he’ll be back next season no matter what. The same cannot be said for a handful of notable players who require strong finishes if they even want to be considered a part of the franchise’s future.

Here are six Jets who need to step it up in Gang Green’s final four games. If they don’t, their time in the Big Apple could be over before they know it.

Joe Douglas’ 2020 draft class looks disastrous so far

Joe Douglas’ first draft class as Jets GM looks like a bust after 29 games.

Joe Douglas’ first draft class looks like a bust through its first 29 games.

The nine players Douglas picked in 2020 haven’t lived up to expectations. Some of that has been because of injuries, but even the healthy players haven’t performed well. Cornerback Bryce Hall is the only one who looks like a solid player, but one starter — drafted in the fifth round — isn’t enough to save a whole draft class.

Douglas made these picks when Adam Gase was still the coach and Sam Darnold was still the quarterback, but most of the selections weren’t good as rookies in the systems they were drafted to play in, either. Douglas’ second draft class looks strong through 13 games, but the Jets need all of their young players to perform.

That hasn’t happened for most of the 2020 picks. Here’s how all nine have fared so far in their Jets careers.

Robert Saleh has faith in Jets’ decimated safety group

The Jets have been rocked by injuries at safety, but Robert Saleh is confident in Ashtyn Davis, Jarrod Wilson and Sharrod Neasman.

Jets safeties have been rocked by injuries this season.

New York has lost both its starters, Lamarcus Joyner and Marcus Maye, to season-ending injuries and has rotated a bevy of safeties throughout the lineup. Robert Saleh isn’t worried about the team’s lack of continuity and experience at the position, though. He expressed confidence in the three active safeties on the roster: Jarrod Wilson, Sharrod Neasman and second-year pro Ashtyn Davis.

The team also added 2020 UDFA Elijah Riley this week.

“That safety position has taken quite the hit in terms of just the amount of players that’ve come through there,” Saleh said Wednesday, adding that he hopes a few games together will lead to improved play.

Saleh and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich need to figure out what to do with the team’s depth chart quickly, though. The Jets allow 274.9 passing yards per game, which ranks fourth-most in the league. They have allowed 38 passing plays of at least 20 yards, which ranks second.

“Is it a challenge? Yeah,” Saleh added. “But do we have faith in our guys? Absolutely.”

Davis will likely step into the biggest role after Maye’s injury. The 2020 third-round pick is New York’s longest-tenured, active safety. He’s taking his development “week-to-week” after returning from an injury of his own in Week 4. He echoed Saleh, praising his fellow safeties but acknowledging they need more time together.

“We got guys who can play in our room,” he said Wednesday. “It’s just about building cohesiveness amongst us, getting reps in practice, getting the communication together and making sure we’re on the same page.”

That may be easier said than done. Between the safeties and cornerbacks, the Jets have an incredibly young and inexperienced secondary. Davis, Wilson and Neasman have just 561 total snaps this season. Riley’s addition to the safety room will add depth, but he mostly played special teams for the Eagles over the past two seasons.

Davis, despite his own inexperience, took it upon himself to be the leader with Maye and Joyner out.

“I’m going to do whatever I can within my power,” he said. “I’m not going to go outside my body but I’m going to make the plays that I can. I’m not going to try to play Superman, but I’m going to do what I need to do 100 percent.”

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The pros and cons of trading S Marcus Maye

The Jets could trade Marcus Maye. But that doesn’t mean they should. Here are the pros and cons of dealing the safety:

Marcus Maye is the hottest name on the list of potential players the Jets could trade this week.

The safety is playing on his franchise tag after failing to come to a long-term extension with the team and has been the subject to plenty of trade rumors over the past few weeks. Though Maye said he wants to stay with the Jets long-term, there have been reports he would “welcome” a trade and the Jets are looking for at least a third-round pick for him.

Trades don’t exist in a vacuum, though. While trading Maye could help the team in the long run, there are short-term consequences to consider.

Here are the biggest pros and cons for trading the safety.

How will the Jets replace injured S Marcus Maye?

Ashtyn Davis and Sharrod Neasman will try to make up for the loss of the injured Marcus Maye in their return to the Jets on Sunday.

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New York’s early-season woes got even worse earlier this week when Marcus Maye was ruled out with an ankle injury.

Robert Saleh said Friday that Maye is expected back against the Patriots, placing him out of action for the Jets’ next two games. Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich are still going to have to find a way to replace their star safety in the short-term, though, and will likely count on a wave of reinforcements to do so.

Ashtyn Davis returned from injured reserve after missing New York’s first three games with a foot injury and will suit up against the Titans, according to Saleh. Sharrod Neasman was also activated from injured reserve and will play in Week 4.

“Ashtyn comes back,” Saleh said. “Obviously, we can’t get him a full game in there because he hasn’t played football in a year, but we do plan on getting him part of the rotation, along with Jarrod Wilson and Neasman. They’re both back. We’ll have a good little rotation in there and play the hot hand, but they’ve all got to be ready to play.”

Wilson has been splitting time with Adrian Colbert at free safety after Lamarcus Joyner suffered a season-ending tricep injury in Week 1. The 27-year-old will now likely see some snaps at strong safety as well with Maye sidelined.

Whoever the Jets line up at safety on Sunday won’t have to worry about guarding A.J. Brown or Julio Jones, as both have been ruled out with injuries. Replacing a player of Maye’s caliber won’t be easy, but New York can take a deep breath knowing Brown or Jones won’t be trying to take the top off its defense for four quarters.

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Jets S Lamarcus Joyner likely out for year with elbow injury

The Jets’ safety depth took a major hit after Lamarcus Joyner tore a tendon in his arm. He will require surgery.

Another Jets defensive starter likely suffered a season-ending injury.

Veteran safety Lamarcus Joyner will likely miss the rest of the year after tearing a tendon in his arm, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The injury will also require surgery. The 30-year-old Joyner exited New York’s Week 1 loss to the Panthers with an elbow injury after just nine snaps. He signed with the Jets this offseason on a one-year, $3 million deal.

The Jets’ safety depth is already thin after the team put Ashtyn Davis and Sharrod Neasman on injured reserve before the season started. Backup Sheldrick Redwine played for Joyner on Sunday but was benched shortly after giving up two long passes to the Panthers. Practice squad call-up Adrian Colbert and Marcus Maye are the only other safeties on the roster.

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Jets S Ashtyn Davis activated from PUP list

The Jets activated Ashtyn Davis off the PUP list on Monday.

The Jets activated Ashtyn Davis off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list on Monday.

The second-year safety was recovering from a lingering foot injury that he sustained late in the 2020 season. The injury forced Davis to miss spring workouts, training camp and the preseason.

Robert Saleh previously said that the Cal product was targeting a Week 2 return. The Jets head coach is now taking things “day by day” with Davis as the regular season nears. Davis will ramp up football activities in the coming days and weeks.

Davis, a third-round pick in 2020, played in 10 games (6 starts) as a rookie. He recorded 36 tackles, one fumble recovery, and one defended pass. He figures to be a backup behind Marcus Maye and Lamarcus Joyner once ready to go.

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6 thoughts on Jets, Marcus Maye failing to sign an extension

Marcus Maye didn’t get a new contract before the July 15 deadline, which means his future with the Jets is uncertain at best.

Marcus Maye didn’t get a new contract before the July 15 deadline, which means his future with the Jets is uncertain at best.

With no new deal in place, the Jets cannot offer Maye another contract until next offseason, when they could also place a second franchise tag on the safety. If not, he will hit the open market in 2022. Of course, there’s also a chance he’s traded before that.

This sets up an interesting storyline for the Jets throughout the season. Maye is one of the most experienced players on the defense – and certainly in the secondary – but he’ll play this season on his franchise tag with the hopes of landing a long-term extension next summer. That’s Maye’s future, but the Jets’ future at the safety position is entirely unclear now.

As Gang Green tries to figure that out, here are six thoughts on the Jets and Maye failing to come to terms.

No extension expected between Jets and Marcus Maye

Marcus Maye will likely play the 2021 season on his one-year franchise tag with him & the Jets reportedly at a stalemate over an extension.

All signs are pointing toward safety Marcus Maye playing out the 2021 season on his franchise tag.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday that no deal is expected between Maye and the Jets just days before the July 15 deadline. Rapoport said that Maye’s team pulled its most recent contract proposal after the Jets didn’t respond. Rapoport added that negotiations went south weeks before Maye signed his franchise tag after the Jets offered a deal that was 20 percent lower than the $10.612 million tag.

Maye rejected that proposal because he had better offers from other teams heading into free agency, per Rapoport.

Maye remains one of the most important players on the Jets heading into 2021, but this development will likely change his relationship with the team. Once the deadline passes, the Jets can’t offer him a new contract until after the season, when he will become an unrestricted free agent unless the Jets offer and Maye signs a second franchise tag.

This opens up the possibility that Joe Douglas could trade Maye this year if the general manager doesn’t think he can retain the safety long-term.

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