Position Preview for '25
Aaron Glenn has stressed several qualities that he wants to see in his players as Jets head coach, among them youth, competitiveness and toughness.
The youth is already apparent on special teams (another AG hot-button topic) with Chris Banjo, a mere 35 years old with a 10-year playing career and two years as an assistant coach on his résumé, taking the reins from longtime STC Brant Boyer.
Banjo has competition on all fronts, none more visible than kicker and punter. The Jets released K Greg Zuerlein, 37, and P Thomas Morstead, 39, both 13-seasons-plus veterans, and will turn both jobs over to young competitors. At kicker going into camp, recently signed Harrison Mevis will battle rookie free agent Caden Davis. The punting combatants will be first-year man Austin McNamara and rookie free agent Kai Kroeger.
Among return candidates, while Xavier Gipson has handled most of the Jets' returns the past two seasons, Banjo made it clear after the rookie minicamp that returner depth charts "are written in pencil, so it's a dynamic process that can change on a consistent and day-to-day basis."
So Gipson will be in the running, but so will others seeking to unseat him, among them fourth-round rookie Arian Smith and undrafted free agent Jamaal Pritchett on punts and dangerous young vet Kene Nwangwu (4 career KO-return TDs in 4 NFL seasons) on kickoffs.
The toughness part especially comes through on the coverage and blocking units. Three returning ST tacklers, Irvin Charles, Isaiah Davis and Marcelino McCrary-Ball, each had 7 ST tackles last season — slightly better than Banjo's average of 5.8 ST tackles/season over his decade as a player — but Charles is still rehabbing from his December ACL tear. Also among the new faces who want to contribute to teams are draft picks Francisco Mauigoa and Smith as a gunner.
The counterbalance to youth on the Jets' specials is Thomas Hennessy, 31, back for his ninth season as the Jets' long-snapper.
| Jets ST | '24 Team | Exper in '25 | '24 GP-GS-DNP-IA | '24 O/D-ST-TotSnaps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Hennessy (LS) | NYJ | 9th | 17 - 0 - 0 - 0 | 0 - 125 - 125 |
| Austin McNamara (P) | none | 1st | .......... | .......... |
| Harrison Mevis (K) | Birmingham (UFL) | 1st | .......... | .......... |
| Caden Davis (K) | Mississippi | R | .......... | .......... |
| Kai Kroeger (P) | South Carolina St. | R | .......... | .......... |
Storyline to Watch
Placekicking aficionados should be excited for the camp competition that can be billed in three words: Mevis vs. Davis.
Before Mevis made any pro money, he kicked at Missouri and thus was a teammate of Jets first-round tackle Armand Membou. Mevis filed trademark applications in 2022 for the marks "ThiccerKicker" and "MoneyMevis". In '23 he nailed an SEC-record 61-yard field goal for the walkoff win over Kansas State. He was waived by Carolina last summer but went on to kick lights-out for Birmingham in the UFL, converting 20 of 21 FG tries for the Stallions, with his only miss from 63 yards. He had a long make of 54 yards in the regular season and 56 in the conference title game.
Davis had a decorated career at Ole Miss, making some All-America and All-Southeastern Conference first teams and being named Kickoff Specialist of the Year in FBS and the SEC. His four total 50-yards-plus FGs set the Rebels career mark and among those makes were 57- and 56-yarders to help win games the past two seasons.
For two years Zuerlein provided kicking stability that Jets fans hadn't seen since the end of Nick Folk's reign after the 2016 season. But last year "Legatron" left the NFL's version of the Marvel universe due to inconsistency and injuries, and over the last 10 games the Jets used five different kickers.
With the releases of Zuerlein and, after the full-squad minicamp, Anders Carlson, this will be the summer of Mevis vs. Davis. Whoever wins the competition will be the Green & White's eighth different opening-day kicker in the past 10 seasons. But the prospect is that the winner of this summer's heated competition will return stability to the Jets' kicking job.
What They're Saying
Banjo on the goal for his young returners and all his specialists heading into training camp
"The biggest thing that we try to make sure we do is challenge these guys, make sure they compete and put their best foot forward as much as they possibly can."
ST Trivia
Gipson has been the hardest working man in NFL kick returns recently. Last season "Zay" racked up 33 punt returns for 206 yards and 17 kickoff returns for 489 yards. His 50 total returns led the league and his 755 total return yards came in 4th. This followed his '23 season, when his 55 returns also led the league and his 830 yards placed 2nd. Gipson is just the second Jet to lead the NFL in total kick returns, the first being Andre Roberts with 63 returns in 2018.
