Ranking the top 25 New York Jets players: Unrealized potential is obvious in 25-21

25 – Brandon Stephens, DB

What can I say about Brandon Stephens that I haven’t said 100 times this off season. This was one of the worst signings I can remember the Jets making. To give a three-year contract with starter money to a player who has shown no signs of being able to play at this level is laughable. I would rather they put that money elsewhere and start a mid-round rookie. At least then I would have chalked it up to the youth-movement.

Stephens checks in at number 25 because frankly, there isn’t too many players I can make the case for being ranked in front of him with the stipulations I laid out.

24 – Micheal Clemons, DE

I wanted to put Clemons at number 25, but we all know he can’t set the edge (ba-dum-tss). Clemons was a player that came to the Jets as a raw force in the fourth round of the 2022 draft out of Texas A&M. He was an instant success on the team because what he lacked in discipline, he made up for in sheer grit and violence.

Fast forward three seasons and he is still as undisciplined as when they drafted him. Any Jets’ fan who has a little football knowledge can see how often he is out of position or commits a stupid penalty at the worst time. See below:

Clemons was pushed into the starting lineup last season when Jermaine Johnson went down with an injury. Where he was flourishing in a backup/rotational role, he failed as an every-down player. The Jets are hoping Aaron Glenn can smooth out some of his rougher edges and make him the contributor they drafted him to be.

23- Xavier Gipson, WR/KR

I’m not putting Gipson on here for his receiving abilities. He hasn’t been able to do much in that regard the last two years. In fact, last year he only had six receptions for 39 yards. The step the Jets were hoping he would take last season turned out to be a stumble backwards.

But as a returner he still has the ability to take one all the way at any point in the game.

But as a returner he still has the ability to take one all the way at any point in the game. Again, he took a step back in year two from his rookie season, but he has shown enough in the return game to be on this list.

22- Isaiah Davis, RB

Davis was the forgotten man in the Jets backfield last season with the star power of Breece Hall and the emergence of Braelon Allen. But the Jets coaches pounded the table to draft Davis even after selecting Allen in the 2024 NFL draft and there was a reason.

While Davis really didn’t get in games until the end of the season, when he did finally get his shot, he made the most of it. He averaged 5.8 yards per carry on 30 totes and added nine receptions for 75 yards. Not a huge sample size, but with the Jets emphasis on the running game this year, I wouldn’t be surprised if some sort of three-headed monster emerged with Davis being the X-factor in the group.

21- Josh Reynolds, WR

Someone needs to be the Jets’ number two receiver, right? Reynolds arrived with little fanfare as a free agent, making only $2.8 million for one year, mainly because of a down 2024 with the Broncos and Jaguars. Considering he was involved in a shooting where suffered some injuries, I’ll give him a little bit of pass on that.

Reynolds is a decent complimentary option in the passing game if he can stay on the field and may be relied on more than originally thought when defenses attempt to key in on Garrett Wilson.

Stay tuned for the next five names on the list coming out in the next few days.