The Jets have signed 28-year old safety Cameron Worrell.  Worrell’s season ended after 12 games last season when he tore his ACL which caused the Dolphins to release him last April.  Worrell is a good special teams player but he’s not much of a playmaker.  Worrell played in 12 games for the Dolphins last season and he made 56 tackles and defensed a pass.  Worrell has now played in 55 games in his NFL career and he has made 102 tackles, defensed 1 pass, has 2 sacks and he has forced 2 fumbles.  Worrell should help the Jets if he can stay healthy in 2008.

The New York Jets appear to be moving towards running a power offense this season.  They have added two nasty run blocking linemen (Damien Woody and Alan Faneca), a good fullback (Tony Richardson) and two big running backs (Jesse Chatman and Musa Smith).  It all adds up to the Jets trying to run the ball a lot more in 2008 than they did in 2007.  Thomas Jones will still likely be the main man in the running game after he had a disappointing 2007 season.  Jones needs to run with more authority this season and he needs to catch the ball a little better although that has never been a strength of his game.  Jones played in 16 games (14 starts) for the Jets last season and he carried the ball 310 times for 1,119 yards (3.6 ypc) with only 1 TD rushing.  He also caught 28 passes for 217 yards (7.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Jones had better turn it around this season as the Jets have more options behind him than they had in 2007.  Jones has now played in 116 games (77 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 1,659 times for 6,503 yards (3.9 ypc) with 35 TD runs.  He has also caught 243 passes for 1,593 yards (6.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.

Jesse Chatman is a bowling ball type running back as he does most of his damage between the tackles.  He will likely be the goal line back for the Jets this season and he could be much more than that if Thomas Jones doesn’t improve soon.  Chatman played in 14 games (6 starts) for the Dolphins last season and he carried the ball 128 times for 515 yards (4.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 27 passes for 161 yards (6.0 avg).  Chatman has a lot of tread left on his tires as he didn’t play for a couple of seasons so look for the Jets to give him the ball a lot in short yardage situations.  Chatman has now played in 55 games (6 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 207 times for 943 yards (4.6 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  He also has caught 37 passes for 276 yards (7.5 avg).

Leon Washington will likely be the third down back for the Jets this season and he has the prefect skill set for that role.  He has good hands and he’s very fast giving him the potential to score from anywhere on the field.  Washington is on the small side however and that’s why the Jets try to watch his workload.  He played in 16 games (4 starts) for the Jets last season and he carried the ball 71 times for 353 yards (5.0 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He also caught 36 passes for 213 yards (5.9 avg).  Look for Washington to make a mark on the Jets offense despite having a limited role.  Washington has now played in 32 games (12 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 222 times for 1,003 yards (4.5 ypc) with 7 TD runs.  He has also caught 61 passes for 483 yards (7.9 avg).

Musa Smith’s game is very similar to Jesse Chatman’s as he is a big back that likes to push the pile.  He’s not very fast but he can get a tough yard when it’s needed.  Smith played in 16 games (1 start) with the Ravens last season and he carried the ball 75 times for 264 yards (3.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 27 passes for 192 yards (7.1 avg).  Smith has had durability issues in his career but he doesn’t have a lot of mileage on his body so he should be fresh this season.  Smith has now played in 49 games (1 start) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 132 times for 496 yards (3.8 ypc) with 4 TD grabs.  He also has caught 54 passes for 363 yards (6.7 avg).

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C

It will be interesting to watch the competition between Kellen Clemens and Chad Pennington to see who will start at QB for the Jets in 2008.  Kellen Clemens appears to have a slight edge because of his arm strength but he wasn’t near as efficient running the offense as Pennington was last season.  Clemens played in 10 games (8 starts) for the Jets last season and he completed 130 of 250 passes (52%) for 1,529 yards with only 5 TD passes and 10 interceptions (60.9 QB Rating).  Clemens also carried the ball 27 times for 111 yards (4.1 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Clemens can get the ball deep which is something that Chad Pennington can’t do anymore because of all of the surgeries he has endured in his career.  Clemens has now played in 12 games (8 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 130 of 251 passes (51.8%) for 1,529 yards with 5 TD passes and 10 interceptions (60.7 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 29 times for 121 yards (4.2 ypc) with 1 TD run.

Chad Pennington is the crusty old veteran QB of the Jets.  He is smart and knows where to go with the football but sometimes his arm can’t get the ball there.  That often constricts the Jets’ offense and helps the opposing defense because they get closer to the line thus taking the running game and the short passing game away.  Pennington lost his job because the Jets’ offense was not good last season and everyone blames the QB for that.  He played in 9 games (8 starts) for the Jets last season and he completed 179 of 260 passes (68.8%) for 1,765 yards with 10 TD passes and 9 interceptions (86.1 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 20 times for 32 yards (1.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  No one will ever question Pennington’s toughness as many QBs would have retired due to all of the cutting he’s endured on his right shoulder.  But, Pennington is still a decent QB and I wouldn’t be surprised if he upsets Clemens and starts this year.  Pennington has now played in 69 games (61 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 1,259 of 1,919 passes (65.6%) for 13,738 yards with 82 TD passes and 55 interceptions (88.9 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 147 times for 396 yards (2.7 ypc) with 6 TD runs.

Rookie Erik Ainge has a lot of the same traits as a young Chad Pennington as he is a game manager.  He doesn’t have the best arm but he’s efficient.  Ainge also has problems staying healthy which is one of Pennington’s worst traits.  He will be holding a clipboard this whole season unless Clemens and Pennington both get hurt.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C-

Nate Garner is a huge player at 6’6″, 334 pounds but he’s not the best athlete around.  Not many experts thought he would get drafted at all.  He will likely be on the practice squad as a rookie because you can’t teach size.  Garner did play in the SEC (Arkansas) so he might be able to contribute down the road for the Jets.

Marcus Henry is a possession receiver so don’t expect to be seeing him going deep for the Jets.  Henry is 6’3″, 207 pounds and he runs a 4.65 40.  Henry has great hands but he’s not a physical player as he has problems blocking in the running game.  Henry played in 46 games (26 starts) at Kansas and he caught 104 passes for 1,598 yards (15.4 avg) with 13 TD grabs.  Henry will have to help out on special teams if he wants to make the Jets’ final roster.

The Jets figured that it wouldn’t hurt to have another QB to develop and that’s why they selected Erik Ainge out of Tennessee.  Ainge is a big guy at 6’5″, 225 pounds but he doesn’t throw bullets as he is a touch passer.  He is a smart guy so he should have no problem adjusting to the pro game.  He’s a pocket passer though so the Jets will have to keep defenders out of his face if he is to have success.  Ainge played in 43 games (37 starts) at Tennessee and he completed 733 of 1,210 passes (60.6%) for 8,700 yards with 72 TD passes and 35 interceptions.  Don’t be surprised if Ainge eventually challenges Kellen Clemens for the starting job down the road.

Dwight Lowery does not measure up well as he is only 5’11″, 196 pounds and he runs a 4.6 40.  But, he’s a good pass defender in a zone system because he makes big plays on the ball.  He will likely project as nothing more than a nickel back and a special teams player because he is very raw in his technique.  Lowery played in 25 games (24 starts) at San Jose State and he finished there with 92 tackles, he broke up 23 passes, had 13 interceptions and he recovered 3 fumbles.  This was a tad risky for the Jets as Lowery isn’t a polished prospect.