Black Friday turned out to be another dark day for the New York Jets, falling to 4-7 after a 34-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins, including the Fail Mary that turned into a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown for Miami. The Jets have lost four straight but hey, at least some of their young players are getting reps. One of the big stories of the game was New York making wide receiver Allen Lazard a healthy scratch. Lazard signed a four-year, $44 million contract ($22 million guaranteed) in the offseason. He is fourth on the team in receiving.
Lazard’s benching allowed some other young talent to get a chance to gain some experience against the Dolphins. We’ll take a look at the offensive and defensive snap counts from Week 12 and how much the Jets are still going with the youth movement.
Offense
#Jets snap counts (offense): Nine of the 12 players who logged double-digit snaps began the season as backups or not even on the roster. Sad. Allen Lazard was a healthy scratch, a demotion that almost happened last week. Uzomah could be the next one. pic.twitter.com/WQzooPUHB2
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) November 25, 2023
- The Jets sure had the youth movement at wide receiver going. Jason Brownlee became the No. 2 wide receiver, playing all but one snap. He even played two more snaps than Garrett Wilson. Xavier Gipson played 42 of the 58 snaps.
- Jeremy Ruckert has also firmly cemented himself as the No. 2 tight end, playing 25 of the 58 snaps. C.J. Uzomah played just three snaps. When the Jets activate Kenny Yeboah, look for Uzomah to be scratched as the fourth tight end. Yeboah can help on special teams.
- The running back situation was a simple split in Week 12. Breece Hall played two-thirds of the snaps while Dalvin Cook played the other one-third. Israel Abanikanda was not involved against the Dolphins.
Defense
#Jets snap counts (defense): This once-stellar unit has worn down the last two weeks in blowout losses to division opponents. Can’t blame injuries. Clemons was ejected for elbowing an official in the face, which surely will result in additional discipline. pic.twitter.com/hQmgUR2zf4
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) November 25, 2023
- Another week with the usual suspects — C.J. Mosley, D.J. Reed, Sauce Gardner, Tony Adams and Jordan Whitehead — playing every snap, 70 in this case. Quincy Williams played all but three snaps.
- Brandin Echols played half the snaps in his second game filling in for Michael Carter II in the slot. Echols had one of the lone highlights with his interception return for a touchdown.
- The rotation had to be adjusted slightly after Micheal Clemons was ejected for making contact with an official, causing him to bleed in the mouth. Quinnen Williams led the way with 49 of the 70 snaps, followed by Jermaine Johnson (48), John Franklin-Myers (42), Quinton Jefferson (35), Bryce Huff (34), Solomon Thomas (28), Tanzel Smart (17), Clemons (16) and Will McDonald (14).
