Jets $44 Million Man Isn't Safe On NY's Roster

The Jets have some decisions to make with the regular season looming...

Aug 15, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Jets helmet on the sideline against the Atlanta Falcons in the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Over the next few weeks, there will be plenty of difficult decisions for the New York Jets to make.

The deadline to cut down rosters to 53 players is August 27th. At that time, teams will be able to also make practice squads, but there will still be plenty of players no longer a part of the franchise by the time August 28th gets here.

You'll likely see a lot of undrafted free agents miss the cut or depth guys brought in specifically for camp. That's what most of the cuts will entail, but there surely will be some surprises. That's the case each year. So, who could fit that description? The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt shared a column highlighting things he's seen in training camp so far and interestingly noted that he's not convinced that Lazard is guaranteed a spot on this roster heading into the regular season.

"It looked like this in the spring, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to say that Josh Reynolds feels pretty locked in as the No. 2 wide receiver — and based on what we’ve seen in camp, I’m not exactly sure what Allen Lazard’s role is in this offense," Rosenblatt said. "The Jets like his ability to block in the running game but he doesn’t contribute on special teams and I’m fairly certain Fields has only targeted Lazard once in the passing game all of camp. Tyler Johnson has jumped out more in practice, making some plays after the catch and exhibiting some athleticism that Lazard simply doesn’t bring to the table. Glenn raved about Johnson’s ability to feel where defensive backs are and what they’re going to do — and how adept he is at exploiting that despite not being the quickest or fastest receiver on the field...

"I’m not convinced Lazard is a lock to make the 53-man roster — and same for second-year receiver Malachi Corley, who has mostly repped with the second- and third-string quarterbacks."

Lazard has been in town over the last two seasons after signing a four-year, $44 million deal. He restructured the deal this offseason amid trade rumors. The fact that an insider at Rosenblatt's level isn't convinced Lazard is sticking around is the clearest sign yet that there's a chance of some sort of cut or trade.

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