Camp so far: Taking stock

The Jets are four practices into their 2017 camp. Today is the first off-day, so let's use this opportunity to take stock of what's happened so far. Who has made an early impression? Is anyone struggling?

Let's go position-by-position:

Quarterbacks

So far the reps have been shared around pretty evenly but Josh McCown has received almost all of the reps with the first team. Based on reports, Christian Hackenberg has been inconsistent, but has outperformed McCown on a couple of days. Bryce Petty seems off the pace. Of course, it may be too early to make a realistic assessment as the Jets have only installed about a third of the offense.

Running Backs

The most noteworthy thing at this position is that Matt Forté pulled his hamstring again. Coach Todd Bowles said he had no idea of the severity of this injury compared to the one Forté had this time last year, saying that if the trainers say he's day to day then he could be back at any time. New signing Marcus Murphy also had an injury.

This should be a good opportunity for Elijah McGuire to step up but he's only had a couple of flashes and was already removed from the return man competition the team expected him to compete for.

Tight Ends

Austin Seferian-Jenkins continues to build on his strong offseason so far with Forté singling him out as one of the most impressive players over the first few days. He also stayed late for some extra work on the juggs machine. Rookie Jordan Leggett has also impressed at times.

With Seferian-Jenkins suspended, the other tight ends have a golden opportunity to make the team and get some early playing time, but none seem to have separated themselves so far, although a few writers have remarked on how much more comfortable Jason Vander Laan looks so he could be a dark horse.

Wide Receivers

It's an interesting dynamic so far with rookie Chad Hansen and ArDarius Stewart having been limited. Unexpectedly, players such as Chris Harper, Myles White and Deshon Foxx have been stepping up.

Recent addition Lucky Whitehead has also been turning heads, although he too went down in a drill yesterday. However, Charone Peake got off to a bad start with three drops on the first day.

Offensive Line

It's difficult to get a handle on who is doing well in camp, but it's worth noting that James Carpenter has reportedly been beaten a few times with Leonard Williams beating him twice in a row in pass rush drills and Muhammad Wilkerson bull-rushing for a would-be sack in team periods. Hopefully this is just a case of a veteran player pacing himself and getting up to speed because he is being relied upon as a leader this year.

In terms of depth, the Jets have more tackles than interior linemen and even though they can play guard, the likes of Jeff Adams and Ben Braden have been getting looks at tackle. The Jets will probably look to Brent Qvale (at guard) and Dakota Dozier (at center) to pull double duty with the third unit in preseason so that everyone can get reps.

Defensive Line

It seems like business as usual on the defensive line, as all three of the big guns have been impressing and the defense has created plenty of pressure in team periods.

The back-ups have failed to attract much attention so far. Based on recent years, they will get a lot of reps in preseason, so there will be a chance for some of them to stick on the practice squad or even make the team as Lawrence Thomas did last year.

Outside Linebackers

The biggest news at this position is that fifth round pick Dylan Donahue seems to be in the mix with the first unit. The flipside of this is that Lorenzo Mauldin seems to be losing reps to him.

Josh Martin also saw some first team reps ahead of Jordan Jenkins, so this mixing and matching might just be part of a planned rotation. It sounds like Freddie Bishop and Corey Lemonier are currently behind these guys.

Inside Linebackers

The Jets may be hoping for a lot more from Darron Lee and Demario Davis this season, but it's been some of the backups who've been flashing. Spencer Paysinger intercepted a bad Petty pass on Sunday and Julian Stanford has flashed a few times, including an interception of Hackenberg in one on ones.

Cornerbacks

Morris Claiborne seems to have been a stand-out so far, although he missed one day for personal reasons. Right now, Juston Burris and Buster Skrine seem entrenched as the other starter and nickel cornerback in some configuration, so Darryl Roberts and Marcus Williams are obviously slightly behind. Williams did have a pick-six in team periods on the first day, though.

Jeremy Clark is still on the non-football injury list as he recovers from his ACL injury last September and Corey White has also missed some time.

Safeties

Everyone's been raving about projected rookie starters Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye, but what about the other roster candidates?

One player who has flashed a few times is Doug Middleton, who contributed on the main roster down the stretch last year. Shamarko Thomas also had a big hit in a full contact team period.

Specialists

The addition of Murphy and Whitehead seems to have shaken up the return battle and both have a good shot. It sounds like Frankie Hammond and Romar Morris are also in the mix.

Punter Lac Edwards and long snapper Tanner Purdum have no competition, but Purdum reportedly had a few bad snaps the other day. Despite this, both Ross Martin and Chandler Catanzaro are yet to falter in the kicking contest.

The team will be back on the field on Thursday and Friday for two more practices before Saturday's Green-White scrimmage, which in recent years has simply been an extended team session.