What the Jets' Initial Roster Says About the Front Office's Vision

Jets general manager Darren Mougey has always been proactive and diligent when it comes to the 53-man roster.

Before the 6 p.m. ET deadline on Sunday, the Jets made their 20th trade of the Mougey era, acquiring offensive lineman Jordan Meredith in a deal with the Raiders. They also cut their roster down to 53 players as the work begins ahead of a Week 1 showdown against the Titans.

As with any GM, there are signs of what kind of team the Jets want to build with their roster decisions. Sunday's decision did more than show the kind of vision Mougey has for the team; it also highlighted some of his key principles as an executive.

For better or for worse.

Darren Mougey's Jets vision is crystal clear

If Sunday's deadline showed any clear sign of Mougey's principle, it's this: he's like every major executive in the NFL when it comes to draft picks.

Case in point, the decisions behind Malachi Moore and Arian Smith.

Both were fourth-round picks by the Jets last season. Both had quiet to mediocre training camps. Were they as bad as fans have complained about? No. But the two mid-round selections did have other players seemingly look better, both at their positions and at others around the team.

Arian Smith running. — Arian Smith's career isn't beyond saving, but that doesn't change the fact that the Jets need to see more from him. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Going into their second years with the Jets, it would have been a bad look for the draft process if they were to release both of their fourth-round picks from last year. While that doesn't look good to some Jets fans, it is something that every other general manager does across the league. No one wants to fundamentally give up on mid-round picks after a single year or two training camps, at the very least.

It also highlight's Mougey's other key principle.

Staying aggressive

Many Jets fans were perplexed when the team retained Braiden McGregor and Kohl Levao. They wondered why the team released other players, specifically edge rusher Nate Lynn, over someone who struggled mightily in camp.

When it comes to the waiver wire, though, it really shouldn't be too much of a surprise.

When the trade for Meredith becomes official, the Jets will have a full 53-man roster. They also have the second-highest waiver claim in the league behind the Raiders. If the team picks someone up off waivers, they'll need to have a corresponding release as well.

For example, if the Jets picked up Titans quarterback Will Levis off waivers, they would then have to release a player (possibly McGregor) as a follow-up move. Players like McGregor remaining with the team usually don't last beyond the waiver wire.

Mougey's first roster decisions show the team still isn't done improving the roster, even with Week 1 just a couple more weeks away. That brings us to the final point of Mougey's construction.

Keeping a watchful eye

The Jets' general manager has shown a deep understanding of where other teams are around the league when it comes to roster decisions. Mougey understood, for example, that it was important to keep four tight ends on the roster this year because other organizations had bigger needs there. He also understands which players could be more coveted than others.

Darren Mougey smile — Jets GM Darren Mougey is always aware of what's going on around him, which often pays off in the long run. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

By placing a preseason standout like Dean Clark or Lynn on waivers to start, the Jets are hoping, and expecting, other teams to potentially pass up on those pickups. If the next few days go by without claims, then Clark and Lynn will be back on the practice squad.

Much of this is guesswork based on breakdowns of other NFL rosters, but Mougey has shown a penchant for doing so with great accuracy.

The Jets are not done building their team. And ahead of their Week 1 game, it looks like their GM isn't quite ready to show all his cards yet.

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