The New York Jets have a new regime at the helm and they couldn’t care less about the vision of the old one. New GM Darren Mougey and new head coach Aaron Glenn have spent most of this offseason getting rid of players and bringing in low risk/low reward young players to fill the empty roster spots.
In some cases, like with Greg Zuerlein, the move makes sense. In other cases, it seems like the new brain trust is more worried about getting rid of the former regime’s players. Two examples are going to take center stage as the Jets progress through their off-season program. Joe Tippmann at center, and Malachi Corley at wide receiver.
When it comes to the center spot, two years ago we believed the Jets found the next guy in a rich history of New York Jets’ centers. From Kevin Mawae to Nick Mangold, the New York Jets were supposed to be set at that spot when they selected Joe Tippmann out of Wisconsin in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft.
Tippmann has played well in his first two seasons in the NFL, but maybe not well enough in the eyes of Mougey and Glenn. Early in free agency, the Jets signed former Green Bay Packers center Josh Myers to a one-year deal. Many, me included, thought it was a depth signing along the interior of the offensive line, but that wasn’t how Mougey saw it. Mougey said in late March that Myers is "going to compete to push Tippmann."
Now, the two are locked in a camp battle for the starting spot, and frankly, I believe Myers has the upper hand considering he was part of that Ohio State crowd that this regime seems to be so in love with and he has more starts than any other player on the Jets’ offensive line.
But it would be a detriment to the Jets if Myers wins the job, because he is only signed for the year, and it would set Tippmann back to lose his starting job in year three. Tippmann and Myers are "battling their asses off right now," guard John Simpson said this week.
As for Malachi Corley, expectations were really high for this kid when the Jets drafted him in the third-round last year. The “YAC God” was supposed to be one of Aaron Rodgers’ favorite weapons, but he barely saw the field, and when he did, things didn’t go too well.
Now, the Jets find themselves with a plethora of bad wide receivers behind Garrett Wilson, and there is nobody with any ties to Corley to keep him around. Corley’s spot is in jeopardy because despite the Jets lacking quality at the receiver position, they have a lot of guys who seem like locks to make the roster.
Simply put, he cannot rely on his third-round draft capital to lock in his roster spot. Corley can easily find himself out of a job, or on the practice squad if he doesn’t have a good camp. Glenn and Mougey have no qualms about cutting a second-year player with high upside from the third round.
This isn’t just about getting younger as has been the obvious priority all offseason. Tippmann is only 24 years old, and Corley is 23. This is about cutting out what the previous regime did simply because they did it. It’s why the Jets appear to be in year 15 of rebuilding.