Upon joining the Jets as an undrafted free agent last year, Xavier Gipson managed to carve out a special teams role. As his rookie season progressed, though, he also saw increased usage as a receiver. That could have him in line for significant snaps to begin the 2024 campaign. 
Gipson served as New York’s primary returner in 2023, and that role is likely be his again this season. The 23-year-old racked up 830 yards between his kick and punt returns, and his third phase contributions were of course highlighted by his game-winning touchdown in Week 1. In the latter half of the campaign, Gipson became a regular on offense and that could remain the case in the fall.
Spring practices pointed to Gipson having a lead on the starting slot receiver role over third-round rookie Malachi Corley, Brian Costello of the New York Post writes. The latter established himself as a unique member of 2024’s highly regarded receiver class especially based on his production after the catch. That should allow Corley to thrive in the slot, but if he takes time to acclimate to the pro game Gipson could maintain a first-team role. The S.F. Austin alum posted 221 yards on 29 receptions last year.
That production came from a 45% offensive snap percentage, and an uptick in usage (coupled with, of course, a healthy season for Aaron Rodgers) could lead to a notable offensive output from Gipson. New York has Garrett Wilson atop the depth chart, and free agent signing Mike Williams will provide the team with a vertical threat. While Breece Hall is set to shoulder a large workload in the backfield, a complementary role should await Gipson if he has a strong training camp.
The competition for a first-team slot role will be worth watching as the summer unfolds. Even if Corley manages to win it, however, Gipson should still be able to make an impact in the return game. As his rookie season showed, a spot in the receiver pecking order would be reasonable as well.
I see Jets calling a lot more 4WR sets than you would expect, with Gipson and Corley playing together.
That won’t be the case. Roger’s injury means more TE set and maybe 2TE. He has a work in progress line in pass IMO. So I think they rely a lot on Hall. Let him Hall the load… see what I did there. Wilson will get rub route help and Roger’s only trusts a small group of sure handed WRs. Two year 2 or rooks dint equal what we have seen.
I think that that would be true, pogo, but the the question I would have would be about which tight ends the Jets would start? The extra blocking for running sets is good, but with Rodgers, those TEs would have to catch as well. Do the Jets have someone that they can trust to be a volume receiver? Even though I think that you’re right that Rodgers being his old mobile self is less likely after the injury (even if he’s able to move like before, they should want to protect him, as should he), the Jets will need a tight end reliable enough to handle being that safety valve and can also gain yardage.
No disrespect to Tyler Conklin, who is a tough player, but I don’t know who would do that currently. Williams’ injury history would also spotlight the beed for another big target, and though I’d expect Lazard to improve with Rodgers, having a tight end who can get yards better than average would be ideal in that set up. Otherwise, the Jets will have to use what they have, and that could lead to more receivers in an old school Rodgers look on a limited basis. I’m not a Jets fan, so I don’t have the insight that y’all do. Is there someone who they have confidence right now who could assume that lead tight end role (or Hall the load…as they say)?
I figure it’s going to pretty balanced actually. The whole point of drafting Corley was so we could throw lots of quick passes. That can happen out of any set.
You telll me