State of the Roster: RB Addendum
So while I wrote about the roster and the RBs for the Jets the other day, Dennis Waszak Jr. of the AP told us on Twitter we forgot someone.
So with that in mind … here’s my thoughts on adding Woodhead back to the RB unit … after the jump.
Mr. More-Likely? – Of the pair of Chauncey Washington and Danny Woodhead, I’d bet that the team is more willing to keep Woodhead of the two. Washington doesn’t offer a lot that the other backs don’t already provide. Woodhead might not be able to glance a blow off first contact, but he’s shiftier, could move back and forth from the slot (since he was WR for a while) but might be more of a liability on Specials (if he doesn’t have the ball in his hands), which is where Washington might have an edge.
It Was One Preseason Game – After his eye-popping performance in Week 4 of the preseason last year, it was almost impossible for the Jets to keep Woodhead off the roster, which is what they did do initially. The team then shortly changed up the roster and allowed a spot for Woodhead on the practice squad and then added him to the active once a spot become available. The Jets are trying to reward his dedication, and while he showed some promise towards the end of last season, look where he shone brightest … the 26-3 win over Tampa … a game that might have well as been a preseason game in terms of the level of competition he played against.
No Room at the Trough! – No matter how scrappy a guy like Woodhead is, unless there’s an injury to a player on the roster above him, it’s going to be hard for him to make the active roster. At the ‘backs spot, there’s Greene, Tomlinson, McKnight, Richardson and Conner. That’s a lot of veteran experience and draft investment for him to supplant.
An Unexpected Cut? – That is … unless Conner proves himself so worthy of starting, that T-Rich becomes an afterthought. If Conner does in fact outshine Richardson, would the team press on with their youth movement, and cut Richardson before camp breaks and thereby allowing for more wiggle room for someone like Woodhead?
49 Responses to State of the Roster: RB Addendum
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brian311 says:
expert – i agree. and i actually hope he doesnt have another all-pro preason, so we can hide him on the practice squad for another year. with LT, Green and McKnight ahead of him, there isnt much room. but with LT out of the mix in another year, that is a different story.
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Ughhh I can never rid myself of this guy. He’s bad on special teams, can’t return, and is the 5th RB. Whoopty doo.
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juunit says:
Brad Smith should get that spot before Woodhead does… and Brad Smith doesn’t even need that spot.
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cmonleon says:
I like woodhead but I think he belongs in the slot
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tish says:
Woodhead was an inadequate replacement for Leon. Mcknight should now serve that role. Woodhead, as the proverbial underdog fave of many fans is just not good enough to attain a roster spot given the apparent depth that the team has. I for one wish him well and hope he finds a spot on another team (as long as it isn’t Miami or NE). The Jets cannot afford to carry sentimenta
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…sentamental players
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Ira says:
I think C.Washington is going to turn some heads this summer and will push Danny for that last spot.
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Le' Sean Roberts says:
Nice observation….Here Here!
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mole57 says:
brian,
I don’t think he’s even eligible for the practice squad anymore. He’s played in at least nine games, hasn’t he? -
g. JETson says:
Just because he vaguely reminds people of Chrebet doesn’t mean he is the re-incarnation of Chrebet.
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Everyone enjoys rooting for an underdog, but I just haven’t seen anything from Woodhead against first-string talent that merits a roster spot.
He’s not particularly fast or shifty, doesn’t seem able to break tackles or make people miss. I know people like to (obviously) compare him to guys like Chrebet, Welker or Edelman, but he had nowhere near the talent of any of them.
Again, I love the the guy’s heart and dedication, but in the end, I haven’t seen anything that makes me think he’s going to make an impact in the NFL.
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Tim says:
Why all the hating on Woodhead? He was a good option in the slot, he’s got some skills, he had some fairly good receptions in the games he was in.
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ron2473000 says:
The thing no one is mentioning is that if Woodhead was to provide that depth in case things didn’t work out with Leon long term then why did they draft McKnight? They could’ve used that draft pick on lineman either offense or defense but they didn’t and that says alot of where they think his ability is now and going forward. IMO.
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Randy says:
Preseason standout but didn’t get any real chances at Running back during the regular season.Its good to have him in the mix just to add depth in the event of an injury
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Harvlis says:
I think we need to let this play out on the field. Woodhead is a season removed from a major knee injury. He might show us more than he did in the past. I think that the competition is over his head and he will be quickly jettisoned but, many of you have some sort of vendetta against him. If he was just a side-show to get some headlines, he would have been gone, a long time ago. Although, his best work was in the pre-season, from what I saw during the season — he came thorugh, when called upon. Let it play out.
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iJets says:
He’s a Rudy out there… we all wish his heart were in some of the superstar players (ie Gholston)
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NamVetJet says:
Ditto Harvlis. If he can produce keep him, if not see ya. Sentamentality should not be a determining factor when making football decisions.
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bamBAM says:
Julian Edelman became what Danny could have become … but it’s too late now … we have too much talent for Danny to stick … if he was an underdog edge rusher, safety or special team demon it would be a different story
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Clowney shows a lot in the preseason, too. Rather have a guy that shows me something when the games count.
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pound4pound says:
The only guy in Jets history with a higher “words written-to-performance” ratio than Danny Woodhead is Gholston.
Why would we carry Woodhead when we have three RB’s – two who are young, talented draft picks, and one who’s a future Hall-of-Famer who’s going to fight like heck to get his touches? How is DW ever going to see the field? Not to mention Chauncey, who I still think has a chance to be a very decent NFL back (he rushed for 990 yds and 10 td’s his last year at USC, and had a mid-round grade from both Scouts Inc and SI.com).
If Tanny and Rex give DW a spot instead of Chauncey, or an extra LB, or a DB like Warren, or even one more WR, I’d be more than a little disappointed.
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Dylan says:
I definitely don’t think he has a spot on the team, but he should get a chance to earn a roster spot with another team. The Jets are going to want to save LT and Greene for the regular season. McKnight, Washington, and Woodhead should get the bulk of the carries.
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Jimbo says:
Wasn’t Woodhead the guy who wiffed on the tackle to ultimately allow Ginn get his second return for a touchdown last year?
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JetObsessed28 says:
Jimbo, no.. he fell down, and Ginn ran by him while he was flat on his stomach..
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Marvel says:
How the F did Woodhead get his own thread ? Shame on you Bassett .. Shame on you … Lol .. But if I were Tanny I would play Woodhead all preseason, get his value up then trade him for Taylor Mays ..
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JJets says:
I just like Woodhead. I am not sure he fits but I hope he does.
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reality jet fan says:
Anybody mread the gholston article and interview in daily news. .Even his answers have no passion what a bust!
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Eddie DiGio says:
“But if I were Tanny I would play Woodhead all preseason, get his value up then trade him for Taylor Mays ..”
LMAO…the fire is still burning for TM
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reality jet fan
Its going to be hard for Gholston to see reps…hes going to really have to turn it on.
DeVito is better as a 3-4 DE right now.
And Ellis, Pace, Taylor, BT and Jenks are all better pass rushers.
Im hoping that with all the blitzing on the edge from Taylor and Pace that when the QB steps up, VG is strong enough to collapse the pocket…
If its going to happen for him, thats his meal ticket. Not on the edge, just sandwich the QB when he steps up from the pressure
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Vince says:
There is too much talent on this team for either of these guys to stick. First off, I like Woodhead, & I think that Danny Woodhead is more talented than C Washington any day of the week. He has good hands and he’s very fast. But the move back to RB from WR is a sign that Danny Woodhead won’t stick on this team. With Santonio @ WR #1, Edwards @ WR#2 and Crothery in the slot and B. Smith as the #4. i don’t see how he gets in the rotation at WR or RB (no need to name all those guys too). Basically he won’t make the 53-man roster. Again, i like him a lot but the team is stacked this year, I hope he can maybe be a Kick return guy.
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mike s. says:
This is a waste of time. Woodhead has no place on a team competing for the playoffs.
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Only way Woodhead sticks here is if two things happen:
1- He improves on specials. His kick coverage was putrid last year (See Ted Ginn)
2- He improves as a reciever out of the backfield.
Unless he can step it up in those areas, he is of no use to a team trying to win a Super Bowl
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DSmizzle says:
Danny Woodhead is one of those nice stories and a guy who works very hard and has a big heart, etc. But I also think he worked really hard at a career like most of us do, except for his efforts he probably has earned a ton more money in a short period of time than most of us do over the course of a few years, if not many years (I’d need someone like Bent who is better with numbers than I am but I’m guessing he has earned a few hundred thousand dollars if he was on IR for a year getting the league minimum and even if he wasn’t getting that for that year, I’m guessing he has cumulatively earned a few hundred thousand by his mid-20′s if he has been on IR combined with having actually been on the roster long enough to have played in 9 games last year).
Also, I think that when we talk about how hard he works, its more of a reflection on his being a fringe-type of player from an overall talent standpoint, because I don’t see how he is a harder worker than guys like Thomas Jones, LT2, David Harris, Bart Scott, Revis, Jim Leonhard, Mangold, D’Brick, Sanchez, et al. If you think all or some of those guys work their arses off at their trade and to imrpove their game, why does Danny Woodhead get more credit for his work ethic than they do?
I have no problem with why I think people root for him, but I do think its because he’s a small white running back (huge shock to us all, I know). Again, I don’t see it as being “wrong” for this to be a reason to root for him, I just personally don’t see how his story is distinguishable from a guy like Wallace Wright, except that Wright has contributed more in the NFL on Special Teams.
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These are “good” problems/questions to have I think. For example, the Giants wish they had our RB’s/FB’s!
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belvey631 says:
They should keep Woodhead on the roster just to kick Gholston in the nuts before the game. Maybe he’ll actually get angry..
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JT wearing 95 for fellow jet hater bowens man i hate this guy!
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DSmizzle,
DW is not on the team, because he is a small white RB. He is on the team because he put up some serious numbers in college, albeit at a very small, unknown college. Management felt that it would make sense to see if he can do the same thing at the NFL level. His knee injury might have kept him here longer than he deserved. It made sense for the Jets to see if he could regain the form that made him one of the toughest backs in college to bring down. He has two big things against him, Schotty (who doesn’t use anybody properly) and the RB competition (which should be outstanding). I guess I always root for the underdog, having been a long-time, suffering Jet fan.
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neauone says:
Every year, players get cut and vets get picked up. This year will be no different. Players on the bubble with the most to lose are Woodhead, Clowney, Chauncey, etc. If the Jets sign Coles someone has to go. It was interesting to see the idea of Terminator Connor, terminating Richardson for the FB position, could it happen? Maybe, but it would have to be some impact to let Richardson go.
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DHarvey says:
I’va always rooted for Danny but it’s hard to ignore how deep we’ve become at both the RB and WR positions. One area he hasn’t been tested out in is either KR or PR slots and even there we have several good options as starters. When its all said and done, his real skills are in open space and he may well be kept on the P squad only because he can come in and fill in at 3 or 4 entirely different positions..it’s gonna be tough unless he really catches on fire this summer at training camp. Alternatively, he may wind up elsewhere with a different team. I believe he’ll make it somewhere in the NFL, it just may not be with the Jets.
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Nick says:
Sure I like the kid…but if we cut T-Rich to open a spot for him I’d sh@t myself… And not in the good way.
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originaljetfan says:
Woodhead is the Rudy of the jet team…..and as a football player Rudy sucked, Danny Woodhead is a smaller , slower version of the three players in front of him at RB and the 4-5 ahead of him at WR.
he could catch on with a Lions, or another lower tier team as a backup , but not this one.
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Marcus says:
Woodhead ran 4.33 and 4.38 40 yard dash. Not sure where you guys are getting that he is slow. Maybe you guys also missed the times he was helping to keep Sanchez upright by blocking blitzers, which i might add he did effectively. Maybe some people also forgot that Greene and Tomlinson have dealt with injuries. Mcknight is cramping and throwing up in practice. It would make sense if they kept him or Washington. I feel that Woodhead has more value because of experience at RB and WR. Just seems to make sense to me to keep someone that can fill more than 1 role and is cheap.
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I dont care if a guy is purple with yellow spots…if he helps the Jets, Im a fan of his…
Woodhead needs to become a better reciever out of the backfield, learn to pick up blitzes and become a viable option on special teams
For the record, Im a white guy who doesnt think Woodhead is worth a s#it and that Chauncey Washington is going to take his spot…but it’ll be fun to watch
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Mr Blint says:
Look at his stats. He had a better yards per catch than Leon and Brad Smith, He avgd 4.3 yards per carry – better than Thomas Jones., And the kids blocking in pass protection was excellent. He has great speed and shows flashes. He should be compared with guys like Welker – in Welker’s second year at Miami he had 29 catches for 434 yards. Welker started to shine on special teams – but it wasn’t until he was given the chance to play regularly that he became a great receiver. Woodhead was amazing in the last preseason game last year. You can say it was against lousy players, but virtually every back for every team that played their last preseason game played under those same conditions and nobody else had a game like that. To have that kind of game you have to be good. During the preseason they should let him run the Leon washington playbook – let the chips fall where they may.
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Mr. Blint, that’s what they got Joe McKnight (who actually has a chance to have an NFL career). Woodhead’s time is over.
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SackDance99 says:
I think Woodhead isn’t an NFL player, especially at RB because the Jets face too many 8-men in the box fronts and Woodhead can’t get through the LOS. But, if defenses ease up on the Jets and Woodhead can get a clear shot to the second-level, he can be effective. On the other hand, from what I’ve seen from McKnight, he has better size and ability to get through the LOS and is a better second-level threat. Maybe Woodhead has a role, but right now his primary benefit is that he will push McKnight, who seems like the kind of guy that needs to be motivated.
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JesusRevis says:
The Woodhead love on this site is unbearable. He is not an NFL player, he is too small and cannot withstand contact. We have 3 RB’s who are lightyears better than him.
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Isnt Darren Sproles about the same size? I Agree that he should take up some of Washington’s plays in preseason and see how he does. McKnight needs to get his reps though.
I think Dannyboy is playing for a spot on another team.