#Jets’ Breshad Perriman, Folorunso Fatukasi and Kyle Phillips primed for breakouts

The Jets enter the 2020 season still with a lot of question marks about their roster.

General manager Joe Douglas has begun his rebuild through free agency and April’s draft, but finding sure things on the Jets roster is hard to do. They are going to need some players to surpass their expected production and become pleasant surprises during the year.

Here are three Jets who are primed to be breakout players this season:

Breshad Perriman, wide receiver

It is odd to predict a breakout season for a player who turns 27 in September and was drafted in 2015, but Perriman’s career has been odd. The Ravens took him in the first round in 2015 and he struggled with injuries and off-field issues that stunted his progression.

The Jets will be Perriman’s fourth team in four years. Douglas signed Perriman quickly after Robby Anderson departed for the Panthers. The Jets believe Perriman showed what he is capable of at the end of last season with the Buccaneers when he had 25 catches for 506 yards and five touchdowns in his final five games. Perriman got more playing time because of injuries to the Bucs receivers.

Perriman won’t have to wait for injuries to get on the field the season. He will be their lead receiver and a frequent target of Sam Darnold. If Perriman can produce like he did late last season, he will be a steal for the Jets and a key cog for the offense.

Folorunso Fatukasi, defensive line

Fatukasi’s breakout began last year when he turned heads in training camp. Entering August, there were questions whether he would make the team, but by the end of camp he had won over the coaches.

A sixth-round pick in 2018, Fatukasi figures to be a big part of Gregg Williams’ defensive line this season. He played behind Steve McLendon last year, but it would not be surprising to see him cut into McLendon’s playing time more in 2020. He is extremely powerful. That was shown last year on several occasions when he pushed offensive linemen into the backfield. He blew up one play against the Dolphins inside the 5-yard line by shoving the center into the ball carrier for a loss.

The Jets will be relying on their defensive front to again be stout against the run and get more pressure on the quarterback. There are holes in the secondary. Those can be hid to a degree if the front is strong. Fatukasi will play a big role in that.

Kyle Phillips, defensive line/outside linebacker

Phillips was a complete unknown entering last season. An undrafted free agent out of Tennessee, Phillips became a solid fill-in for the Jets when injuries began to hit at outside linebacker and on the interior of the line.

Phillips’ strength is his versatility. He looked as comfortable standing up on the outside as he did in a four-point stance on the inside. He ended up with seven tackles for loss, six quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks.

The Jets did very little to address their pass rush this offseason outside of re-signing Jordan Jenkins and drafting Jabari Zuniga. Phillips should get more playing time than he did last year and he could be a pass-rushing factor for the Jets. By the end of this season, everyone may know who Phillips is.