Former first round pick has a chance to make Jets GM’s job easier with a good performance against the Panthers

The Jets are one third through their preseason games as they get ready to take on the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football in week one of the NFL season. And a lot of decisions need to be made between now and September 9 ^th .

Seeing how players practice is good, but it can be hard to truly get a gage on a player seeing them face their own teammates over and over again. That’s why the trend of joint practices has become so important as coaches try and whittle their rosters down to size.

So, with that in mind, here are three Jets players that need to impress this week as the team travels to Charlotte to practice and then play the Carolina Panthers.

Kohl Levao, OL

The UFL signing was supposed to be a big win for the Jets when he decided to join the team back in June, but thus far he hasn’t looked like the All-Star he was in his former league. Nobody expected him to show up from UFL and be the same player he was in the NFL from day one, but his tape wasn’t great against the Washington Commanders. Pff.com rated him a 58 overall.

The Jets learned from past mistakes this season and have made sure to have a lot of depth at the offensive line. Still, it’s impossible to keep everybody. Aside from the five starters, the Jets have Olu Fashanu, Carter Warren, Max Mitchell, Xavier Newman, Wes Schweitzer and Chris Glaser all fighting to make the team. If Kohl can’t pick up his game, he might be back in the UFL before he sees the field in the NFL.

Irvin Charles, WR

The competition is fierce for the Jets wide receiver core. Behind Garrett Wilson, there are a whole lot of question marks on the depth chart. Can Mike Williams return to form and stay healthy? Can Allen Lazard find some semblance of his former self and be the player the Jets signed him to be? Can Malachi Corley transfer his game from college to the NFL? Can Jason Brownlee and Xavier Gipson take another step forward after what looked like promising rookie years?

With so many question marks around the wide receiver room, the coaches only have a limited amount of tape to make roster decisions, and the fact is Irv Charles was nowhere to be found against the Commanders. He only saw the field for six plays in total and the Jets ran on five of them. It is hard to separate yourself from the pack when you aren’t on the field.

Takk McKinley, EDGE

Unlike the previous players I mentioned, Takk needs to have a good week against the Panthers because he has an opportunity to not only make the team but play significant snaps for the New York Jets in 2024.

Takk has been impressive so far in camp by all reports and couple that with all the drama going on with Haason Reddick, the Jets might have need for McKinley’s services. I’m not saying that Takk is the player that Reddick is, but he is in camp, doing the work and impressing the coaches while Reddick is too busy pouting about his contract .

If McKinley can show the coaches that he is able to step in with Reddick’s absence, he will take the pressure off of Joe Douglas to get a deal done with Reddick.