{"id":292206,"date":"2025-08-16T07:48:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-16T07:48:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/292206\/"},"modified":"2025-08-16T07:48:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-16T07:48:16","slug":"why-malachi-corleys-new-york-jets-roster-spot-might-be-safe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/292206\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Malachi Corley’s New York Jets roster spot might be safe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Things haven\u2019t gone well for New York Jets wide receiver Malachi Corley<\/a> to start his NFL career.<\/p>\n

After being the first pick in the third round<\/a> of the 2024 NFL draft, the Western Kentucky product struggled mightily to see the field in his first season with the team. Entering his second season with a new coaching staff, injuries kept Corley off the field during the offseason training period.<\/p>\n

Camp has not changed anything<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, training camp hasn\u2019t changed much (if anything). Corley has struggled to make a significant impact on the field, which has left some wondering whether the new regime will move on from the \u201cYAC King\u201d before his sophomore season even begins.<\/p>\n

This is especially noticeable since undrafted players like Brandon Smith and Jamaal Pritchett have stood out ahead of him.<\/p>\n

Malachi Corley has been outplayed by several receivers competing for roster spots during camp this year. Players like Pritchett, Smith, and even Quentin Skinner have been more consistent over the last month.<\/p>\n

If head coach Aaron Glenn is true to his word that the best performing players will make the final roster, then Corley\u2019s days could be numbered with the team that was so excited to draft him just last year. <\/p>\n

It might not be that simple, though. <\/p>\n

Corley\u2019s possible saving grace<\/p>\n

When it comes to final roster spots, the decision is as much a financial one as it is a field one. Teams with longer-term commitments to players may opt to keep them over UDFAs or camp invitees to ensure they get the most out of their investment. <\/p>\n

While Corley\u2019s dead cap charge doesn\u2019t exceed $1 million for the final three years of his contract, it may still entice the team to keep him.<\/p>\n

That happens around the league; it is not a new concept by a long shot. <\/p>\n

If the Jets are going to consider finances, keeping Corley for another season may be their final decision in the receiver room. New York could see if it can get anything out of a high draft pick for at least another season.<\/p>\n

There is another factor in this equation, however. <\/p>\n

The players who make the final cutdown are performers who need to excel on special teams as much as their offensive or defensive roles. If Corley is going to make the final roster, he\u2019ll need to show he can perform on special teams over his usual receiver role as well. <\/p>\n

To his credit, that seems to be precisely what he is doing.<\/p>\n

A willing special teams contributor<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s catching up to everything that we\u2019re doing, and he\u2019s part of the rotation,\u201d Glenn said on Wednesday. \u201cSo, every day, he\u2019s working his [expletive] off to earn a job, like everybody else.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is rare for NFL teams to give up on drafted players after just a year with them. Usually, the cut-off is two or three years before an organization knows whether a player has the goods.<\/p>\n

Of course, there have been outliers. Former Tennessee Titans first-round lineman Isaiah Wilson didn\u2019t last a year with the team, dealing with off-field issues.<\/p>\n

Usually, off-field concerns are why a team would move on from a player they just drafted.<\/p>\n

Corley has not proved himself worthy of a 53-man roster spot at this time. Things can change, of course, as a good preseason contest against the New York Giants could give the team the excuse to keep him on the 53-man roster this year.<\/p>\n

Until and\/or unless proven otherwise, the finances are a big reason the New York Jets may choose to remain committed to Malachi Corley. Just don\u2019t hold your breath. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Things haven\u2019t gone well for New York Jets wide receiver Malachi Corley to start his NFL career. After…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":292207,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2051],"tags":[30015,7,3228,226,2315,1917,255,2321,2097,6,6531,3916,3232,30016,3234],"class_list":{"0":"post-292206","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-jets","8":"tag-faria-on-the-beat","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-free-content","11":"tag-jets","12":"tag-malachi-corley","13":"tag-new-york","14":"tag-new-york-jets","15":"tag-newyork","16":"tag-newyorkjets","17":"tag-nfl","18":"tag-ny-jets-column","19":"tag-ny-jets-players","20":"tag-ny-jets-roster-depth-chart","21":"tag-ny-jets-salaries","22":"tag-standard"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115037346494136717","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=292206"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292206\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/292207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=292206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=292206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=292206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}