📈 Rookie Standouts
The Green & White has had several first-year players step up into prominent roles this season, and in Week 16 S Malachi Moore and WR/special teamer Arian Smith produced splash plays versus New Orleans.
Moore, on the Saints first offensive series, reached in and ripped the ball away from the Saints’ Taysom Hill on a run play. The fumble was recovered by CB Qwan’tez Stiggers and set up the Jets to take an early lead, 3-0, on a 29-yard field goal by K Nick Folk.
“Malachi did a hell of a job,” Aaron Glenn said. “Obviously, he got the strip, that’s one thing that we talked about in the team meeting, the targets that we wanted to go after, and he did a really good job of identifying that and making a play.”
Moore, a fourth-round selection in last April’s NFL Draft (No. 130) from Alabama, has started 12 games for the Jets this season. In 15 total games, he has 84 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 pass defenses and 1 fumble recovery.
Smith, another fourth-round pick (No. 110), from Georgia, has had an inconsistent role on offense, but has found his footing on special teams. Last Sunday, Smith, playing gunner, pancaked Saints returner Dante Pettis after fielding a punt from the Jets’ Austin McNamara. The tackle pinned New Orleans at its own 7-yard -line.
“You’ve seen steady growth with [Smith] on a consistent basis when you talk about a special teams perspective,” special teams coordinator Chris Banjo said. “So, him making that play, I wasn’t surprised, I don’t believe he was surprised, I don’t think a lot of people who are in our special teams room were surprised at all in regard to that.”