Tag: xavier gipson

Braelon Allen, Malachi Corley, Xavier Gipson are ‘Jets ready to fly’

Braelon Allen, Malachi Corley, Xavier Gipson are ‘Jets ready to fly’

The personnel options on the New York Jets depth chart suggests that offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett needs to be more creative.

Here’s a list of Jets’ players on offense that can make huge contributions to the team’s expected turnaround if Hackett puts his thinking cap on.

WR Malachi Corley

(Imagn)

Jets’ fans saw rookie wide receiver Malachi Corley in preseason but he hasn’t appeared much in the regular season. Corley’s speed can definitely create a threat versus slot defensive backs, whether he’s used on bubble screens or alternatively in the quick passing game. Sequencing in four WR’s sets with Corley and teammate Xavier Gipson may create a dynamic of speed that not many NFL teams can defend.

Getting Corley three to four touches a game can definitely help the Jets stay ahead of the chains, take attention off of Garrett Wilson, and allow more short yardage situations for Hackett to open up the playbook.

HB Braelon Allen

(USAT)

Allen’s seldom deployment is affecting his morale, and a player with his talent and youth needs positive reinforcement to feel solidified. With the ball in Allen’s hands more frequently, the Jets ground game can improve dramatically.

WR Xavier Gipson

(USAT)

Xavier Gipson is primarily a punt returner but that doesn’t mean he can’t work underneath as a slot wide receiver in Hackett’s scheme. Gipson has speed, and like Corley, could be useful on wide receiver sweep plays and screens.

Gipson, Hall, and Corley have big play potential that hasn’t even been trialed yet. Finally it’ll be up to Hackett to tap into these secret weapons. That is, if he would just stop being so rigid.

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Examining the New York Jets receiving corps

After Garrett Wilson, is there any value to be found here?

The Titanic. The Hindenburg. The 2023 New York Jets. It’s fair to ask which of these events were the biggest disaster, but make no mistake, they all qualify for that designation. Amid massive hype, which included a turn on HBO’s Hard Knocks and a schedule loaded with primetime games, the Jets saw their season go up in flames after just four snaps when quarterback Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon.

Sans Rodgers, the Jets trotted out the lackluster trio of QBs Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle, and Trevor Siemian. None return. Wilson, the former No. 2 overall pick, was traded to the Denver Broncos before the draft. Boyle was waived last year and is currently on the Houston Texans. Siemian remains unsigned. Veteran Tyrod Taylor now sits behind Rodgers on the depth chart.

While the quarterback situation makes it tough to read much into last year’s numbers, the struggles of wide receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb convinced the team more was needed at the position. To that end, the club signed Mike Williams (Los Angeles Chargers) and drafted Malachi Corley. With Rodgers back under center, let’s look at what we can expect from the Jets receivers in 2024.

Unsigned rookie Malachi Corley losing ground in the Jets receiver room to this 2nd-year WR

Unsigned rookie Malachi Corley losing ground in the Jets receiver room to this 2nd-year WR, Xavier Gipson

While we can never truly know or speculate why a rookie contract takes so long or so little to sign, it can only help a rookie to get a deal done and get on the field as soon as possible, given the adjustment it takes from college to the pros. Another big reason why is there are many hungry mouths to feed within any given roster, and with enough time one of those players could end up snagging your job. In New York, rookie Malachi Corley could be experiencing just that with second-year receiver Xavier Gipson showing out

With early reports stating that Gipson is currently ahead of Corley on the depth chart, and given the explosiveness we have seen out of the second-year pro, it could be hard for the rookie to catch up should he miss any time out on the field. Last season, we saw flashes of greatness out of Gipson when he was given a shot, and if he is able to build upon that, he could be locked in as the full-time slot receiver for the team, leaving Corley on the bench for most of New York’s offensive sets.

Granted, Corley was one of the best receivers in a loaded wide receiver class and showed time and time again to be a dominant force on the football field. It’s going to be a tight race no matter how it plays out, but when it comes down to it, every snap matters for a positional competition like this.

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Jets’ team award winners for 2023, including team MVP Quincy Williams

A rundown of the team award winners for the Jets for 2023 including team MVP Quincy Williams.

The Jets announced their team award winners this week, including team MVP, their Good Guy Award and a few others. Some aren’t much of a surprise, some may be for some people.

The season certainly did not go the way the Jets had hoped for, starting with the injury to quarterback Aaron Rodgers in Week 1 to the offense imploding. A 4-3 start turned into a 6-10 mark entering the final week of the season. All eyes are starting to turn the page to the 2024 season. But this is a good way to put a positive note on the 2023 season.

Here is a quick rundown of the winners for each award for the Jets in the 2023 season.

6 Jets to watch in Week 14 vs. Texans

Here are six players from the Jets to watch in the team’s Week 14 matchup against the Texans.

The New York Jets are looking to end a five-game skid in Week 14 against a Houston Texans team that owns a 7-5 record. The big news for the Jets is they are making another change at the quarterback position, going back to Zach Wilson.

After releasing Tim Boyle and bringing in Brett Rypien, the Jets intend to start Wilson for the rest of the season. The idea of Aaron Rodgers returning this season is no longer a thing, so everyone is playing for their job down the stretch.

Ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Texans, here are six players to watch on the Jets.

6 takeaways from Jets’ devastating 13-8 defeat to Falcons

Here are our six immediate takeaways from the Jets’ dismal 13-8 loss to the Falcons in Week 13.

The New York Jets failed to put an end to their losing streak as they’ve now lost five consecutive games. The latest defeat was a dismal 13-8 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 13, handing the Jets a 4-8 record.

Similar to most weeks, the offense was stagnant and unable to produce enough points to win. Amid the team’s five-game losing streak, this was the third game where the Jets weren’t able to find the end zone on offense.

With another loss on the docket, here are our six takeaways from the Jets’ disappointing defeat to the Falcons in Week 13.

Jets snap counts: Depth chart breakdown from Week 12 vs. Dolphins

Jets snap counts: Depth chart breakdown from Week 12 vs. Dolphins

Black Friday turned out to be another dark day for the New York Jets, falling to 4-7 after a 34-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins, including the Fail Mary that turned into a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown for Miami. The Jets have lost four straight but hey, at least some of their young players are getting reps. One of the big stories of the game was New York making wide receiver Allen Lazard a healthy scratch. Lazard signed a four-year, $44 million contract ($22 million guaranteed) in the offseason. He is fourth on the team in receiving.

Lazard’s benching allowed some other young talent to get a chance to gain some experience against the Dolphins. We’ll take a look at the offensive and defensive snap counts from Week 12 and how much the Jets are still going with the youth movement.

3 best Jets rookies from first half of season

Who are your picks for the best rookies so far this season?

The Jets have been praised for their big hits in the 2022 NFL Draft. They drafted the Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year in WR Garrett Wilson and CB Sauce Gardner. They also traded back into the first round to select Jermaine Johnson, who has been incredible in 2023, along with RB Breece Hall in the second round and DL Micheal Carter in the fourth.

But what about 2023? How have some of their rookies fared this season? Are there any standouts this time around? Here, we’ll take a look at some of the top rookies for the Jets in the first half of the 2023 NFL season.

Xavier Gipson was the reason why Jets traded Mecole Hardman

Robert Saleh revealed that the emergence of Xavier Gipson was the reason why the Jets traded Mecole Hardman.

Mecole Hardman’s tenure with the New York Jets didn’t last long as he was already traded back to the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of the trade deadline. Following the move to trade Hardman, Robert Saleh shared that the Jets felt comfortable moving on from him due to Xavier Gipson’s emergence.

Hardman was among the wide receiver signings the Jets made this offseason in hopes to surround Aaron Rodgers with a plethora of weapons. Besides already having an All-Pro-level talent in Garrett Wilson, the Jets also brought in Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb at the receiver position.

Gipson made a name for himself during offseason activities by contributing on special teams. But with Corey Davis retiring, Gipson was able to make the active roster and he began the season as the team’s starting returner on kicks and punts.

The undrafted rookie out of Stephen F. Austin scored a game-winning punt return touchdown in Week 1 and he’s since seen a few snaps on offense. Gipson has totaled 35 yards from scrimmage on four touches.

Meanwhile, Hardman wasn’t seeing the field much on offense despite the Jets lacking vertical speed in the passing game. Even with that being the case, the Jets also didn’t have much interest in having Hardman play on special teams with Gipson returning kicks.

Hardman is now back with the Chiefs and the main reason why is because of Gipson making the most of his opportunities thus far.

Mecole Hardman a free-agent miss, but Xavier Gipson helps ease pain

Mecole Hardman a free-agent miss, but Xavier Gipson helps ease pain

There’s no question that the signing of wide receiver Mecole Hardman wound up being a major miss in free agency for the New York Jets.

The team signed Hardman to a one-year deal worth $4 million with up to $2 million in incentives. After falling down the depth chart and having almost zero role on the team anymore, including being inactive in Week 5, the Jets traded Hardman to the Kansas City Chiefs after just six games.

He finished his short Jets career with one catch for six yards. He goes back to the team he spent his first four seasons with.

Fortunately, the embarrassment blow of missing on Hardman is softened thanks to the fast rise of undrafted free agent Xavier Gipson.

Gipson won the punt and kick returning roles for the Jets in training camp, allowing him to help on special teams, something Hardman was not able to do.

He cemented his position there with his game-winning punt-return touchdown in overtime to knock off the Buffalo Bills in Week 1 after losing quarterback Aaron Rodgers just four snaps into his Jets debut.

Gipson has also seen a couple of snaps on offense as well. He’s not much a factor on offense as of yet, but he can grow into one, even if just a specialized role. He can run some of the gadget plays the Jets tried doing with Braxton Berrios last season.

Gipson is now arguably the No. 4 wide receiver behind Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb. Irv Charles has moved up thanks to his special-teams play while Jason Brownlee, the other rookie free agent wide receiver for the Jets, has been a weekly inactive.

The Jets incur a $500,000 dead money hit this year plus a $2 million dead money hit next year as a result of trading Hardman. Over the Cap currently projects the Jets to have about $7.5 million in salary cap space this year and $32 million next year. Any remaining cap space this year can be carried over into next year.

The Jets missed on Hardman this year. Misses happen all the time. It’s a bit magnified following the expectations of this season. Xavier Gipson, and his Week 1 heroics, have helped ease that pain.