Hall of Fame Game Recap

 

University of Cincinnati graduate, Sauce Gardner

Jet football is officially back.  Not much matters in the Hall of Fame game as no starters play and key backups only play a handful of snaps.  However, in the last post, we highlighted three key things we wanted to see from the Jets and we have recapped those as well as talked about some other positives/negatives from the game.  Be on the lookout later in the week for an article about key players we'll be watching in the second preseason game!

2023 first-round pick, Will McDonald

Three Keys Review

Zach Wilson: The former number 2 overall pick got the start for the Jets and looks to be backup for his childhood idol, Aaron Rodgers. Wilson didn't play much but he absolutely showed signs of progress, never forcing the issue and operating within the offense.  The training camp reports of Wilson have been mostly positive but those come with a grain of salt so seeing progress from him in an actual football game was a very good sign.  Wilson finished 3-5 for 65 yards including a beautiful 57-yarder to Malik Taylor where he looked off the safety knowing he had his guy one-on-one for a deep shot.  Wilson also slipped on a scramble that would've picked up a first down but other than that I had no complaints with his play.

Mekhi Becton:  The often criticized first-round pick only played the first two series and limped off at one point with an apparent injury (go figure).  However, when he was in he was dominant in both run and pass protection.  Given the small sample size and competition (the Browns' backups), this doesn't mean much in the long run.  This game for Mekhi was more to prove he wasn't a bust, not to prove that he is ready to be a starting tackle for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.  We're going to need to keep a close eye on Mekhi the rest of the preseason as the Jets are weak at the Offensive Tackle position and a healthy Mekhi finally living up to his potential could be massive for this team.

Jets D-Line: Overall, I thought the depth of the Jets' defensive line was on full display at the beginning of the game.  As was the case with Mekhi, this is what was expected of them given the depth that the Coaches consistently mention and coach Saleh's style of rotating linemen.  Bryce Huff continues to be a wrecking ball and is arguably the best pure pass rusher in the league while first-round pick Will McDonald showed plenty of reasons why Joe Douglas and the coaching staff were so high on him.  His freakish length and speed were on full display and he is definitely someone I'm looking to see play more this preseason.  Jermaine Johnson didn't stand out as much as I expected given all the hype around him in training camp.

It's still early but the main ways the Browns were able to move the ball was utilizing the defense's aggressiveness against them, attacking them with draws, screens, and delayed passes to the flats, echoing how teams attacked the Jets last year.  I'm interested to see if Coach Saleh and DC Jeff Ulbrich have brainstormed a solution to this over the offseason, an answer we probably won't get until week 1.

Greg The Leg

Other Positives

Jamien Sherwood: Sherwood played the mike position Thursday night and pending any last-minute signings, will be playing the off-ball LB role that Kwon Alexander filled last year.  The Jets have been extremely high on the converted college safety and based on Thursday, those feelings seem very justified.  The first thing that stood out was Sherwood's speed.  It was hard to believe this man tore his Achilles as he was flying all over the field and seemed to be involved in every play when he was in.  Sherwood also forced a fumble that set up the Jets for a field goal and finished the game with 5 tackles.

Greg (The Leg) Zuerlein: Legatron is still automatic and at this point should take the rest of the preseason off.  There's no reason to risk injury to the first solid kicker the Jets have had in years.  Legatron finished 3/3 on field goal attempts, hitting from 54 yards, 44 yards, and 53 yards.

Izzy Abanikanda: While he only averaged three yards a carry (9 for 27 yards), Izzy showed off the shiftiness and speed on his 10-yard touchdown run, dashing to the corner of the endzone.  The fifth-round rookie is being given time to develop but plays like this demonstrate what the Jets saw in him when they drafted him.

Brandon Echols, Jets CB

Some Disappointments

Brandon Echols:  The cornerback did not look good in this game, getting called for some holding penalties and getting beat on short, intermediate, and deep routes.  The Jets are pretty set at the cornerback position and I wouldn't be surprised if the preseason is an audition for him, as the Jets could look to trade him for a late-round draft pick.

Jason Brownlee: Brownlee having a disappointing game is more about the hype that Brownlee has built for himself.  He stands out in training camp almost every practice but unfortunately, this did not translate to this game as he finished with 2 receptions for 17 yards on 5 targets.  I can't remember the last undrafted rookie to hype up a fanbase as much as Brownlee has this year, with some people wondering if he can unseat Corey Davis to be the third starting WR.  Brownlee also was playing with Tim Boyle and Chris Streveler who most likely will be the emergency third QB and practice squad QB respectively.