Combined Jets and Giants 2024 lineup: Who makes the cut?

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They already share a stadium, but what if the Giants and Jets shared a roster?

Put together, the two could assemble a hell of a team.

They’re set to meet for a joint practice on Wednesday at the Jets’ facility in Florham Park ahead of their preseason game against each other on Saturday at MetLife Stadium.

What would a combined starting lineup look like? Let’s take a look:

Offense

Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers (Jets)
Running back: Breece Hall (Jets)
Wide receiver: Garrett Wilson (Jets)
Wide receiver: Malik Nabers (Giants)
Wide receiver: Darius Slayton (Giants)
Tight end: Tyler Conklin (Jets)
Left tackle: Andrew Thomas (Giants)
Left guard: Jon Runyan Jr. (Giants)
Center: Joe Tippmann (Jets)
Right guard: Alijah Vera-Tucker (Jets)
Right tackle Morgan Moses (Jets)

Quarterback: Rodgers’ health and ability and at this age and stage of his career are certainly question marks, but he’s unquestionably an all-time great. Daniel Jones enters a make-or-break season to prove he’s a capable NFL starter. If Jones plays better than Rodgers this season, the Jets either have a disaster on their hands or the Giants have a major boost.

Running back: With Saquon Barkley out of town, Hall becomes the clear top choice. Giants running back Devin Singletary is a well-respected veteran with a strong body of work, but Hall has shown flashes that he can be one of the league’s top weapons.

Breece Hall has shown he can be an offensive weapon as a runner and as a receiver. Bill Kostroun/New York Post

Wide receivers: Wilson is already a star two years into his career, and Nabers is expected to become one after being selected with the No. 6 pick in the draft. Mike Williams and Wan’Dale Robinson were considered as the third receiver, but the perennially overlooked Slayton has been healthier and more productive than both recently.

Tight end: It’s not exactly picking between Hall of Famers here. Conklin is by far the most accomplished option. Can Giants rookie Theo Johnson take this spot with a year of experience?

Offensive line: It’s tough to bench Jets left tackle Tyron Smith, but Thomas is younger and in his prime, showing potential to have the type of career Smith has had. And we’re not moving Smith to right tackle, where Moses plays naturally and is the clear top option. Vera-Tucker is a shoo-in at guard, and Runyan gets a spot over Greg Van Roten and John Simpson. Tippmann and Giants center John Michael Schmitz were both rookies last year, but Rodgers’ new primary snapper had a stronger first season and gets the nod.

Defense (3-4) 

Defensive end: Quinnen Williams (Jets)
Nose tackle: Dexter Lawrence (Giants)
Defensive end: Brian Burns (Giants)
Edge rusher: Kayvon Thibodeaux (Jets)
Inside linebacker: C.J. Mosley (Jets)
Inside linebacker: Bobby Okereke (Giants)
Edge rusher: Jermaine Johnson (Jets)
Cornerback: Sauce Gardner (Jets)
Strong safety: Chuck Clark (Jets)
Free safety: Tony Adams (Jets)
Cornerback: D.J. Reed (Jets)

Giants newcomer Brian Burns averaged more than nine sacks per season over his first five years in the league with the Panthers. AP

Defensive line: This is likely the spot with the most combined talent. Williams is moved slightly out of his normal defensive tackle position to accommodate the 3-4 defense, shifting to defensive end — though there is still a pass-rusher farther outside of him, so it’s a similar role. Lawrence and Burns are among the best at their positions in the league, and along with Williams, would present a menacing unit up front.

Edge rushers: Haason Reddick is left out due to his continued Jets holdout and trade demand. Thibodeaux and Johnson — the No. 5 and No. 26 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, respectively — enjoyed breakout second seasons last year. Thibodeaux, Johnson and Burns are versatile enough to play either defensive end or edge rusher, and would be able to rotate.

Linebacker Bobby Okereke has already become one of the Giants’ defensive leaders after only one season with the team. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

Inside linebacker: Here’s where it’s toughest — one of Mosley, Okereke and Quincy Williams had to be left out. Mosley has long been one of the most respected leaders in the league, Okereke enjoyed an excellent first season with the Giants in 2023 and Williams earned All-Pro First Team honors last season. Williams is out by a hair.

Secondary: A clean sweep for the Jets, and this wasn’t particularly close. Deonte Banks, the Giants’ first-round pick last year, could join this list soon, but he’s not yet at the level of Gardner or Reed, two of the league’s best. And Jets nickelback Michael Carter II is closer to breaking in than Banks is.

Giants rookie safety Tyler Nubin has to prove himself before surpassing Clark or Adams.

Jets cornerback D.J. Reed combines with Sauce Gardner to form one of the NFL’s top tandems. Bill Kostroun/New York Post

Special teams

Kicker: Graham Gano (Giants)
Punter: Thomas Morstead (Jets)
Kick/punt returner: Xavier Gipson (Jets)

Gano and Jets kicker Greg Zuerlein have been staples in the league for a long time. Gano, healthy again, is generally more accurate while Zuerlein has a bigger leg. We’ll go with accuracy.

Morstead is a pretty easy choice over Giants punter Jamie Gillan, and Gipson was explosive as a returner for the Jets last season.

Coaching/front office

Head coach: Brian Daboll (Giants)
Offensive coordinator: Mike Kafka (Giants)
Defensive coordinator: Jeff Ulbrich (Jets)
Special teams coordinator: Brant Boyer (Jets)
General manager: Joe Schoen (Giants)

Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll have had mixed results in two seasons with the Giants. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

Daboll and Schoen have delivered one good and one bad season across two years in charge. Jets general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh have delivered embarrassment in all of their seasons in charge. Schoen and Daboll have made the playoffs — and won a playoff game. Douglas and Saleh have done neither. Daboll has won a Coach of the Year award. Saleh has not.

As far as the coordinators, Kafka’s strong first season in charge lifts him over Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, though both faced heavy criticism last season. Ulbrich has led multiple elite units, and Boyer is well-regarded around the NFL.

Total: Jets 19, Giants 11

Today’s back page

New York Post

The scoreboard

Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham is thrown out at the plate during a loss to the Guardians on Aug. 20, 2024. Robert Sabo for the NY Post

Guardians 9, Yankees 5 (12): Luis Gil departed early due to “lower-back tightness,” and the bullpen came apart in the 12th inning as the Yankees lost their third in a row. Juan Soto (35) and Aaron Judge (45) homered in the first before the bats went quiet, including a brutal 0-for-5 from DJ LeMahieu.

Brandon Nimmo misses a fly ball during the Mets’ loss at Citi Field on Aug. 20, 2024. Jason Szenes for the NY Post

Orioles 9, Mets 5: Jose Quintana got shelled and the Mets threw the ball around the yard during a momentum-sapping loss at Citi Field. The Mets trail by 2.5 games in the NL wild-card race, and as The Post’s Joel Sherman writes, missing the playoffs now would qualify as a disappointment.

Jonquel Jones plays swarming defense during the Liberty’s win over the Wings at Barclays Center on Aug. 20, 2024. Michelle Farsi for the NY Post

Liberty 94, Wings 74: The Liberty (24-4) kept rolling even without Sabrina Ionescu in the lineup. Breanna Stewart tallied 26 points and 12 rebounds, Jonquel Jones put up 23 and 12 and Courtney Vandersloot (15 points, 11 assists, six rebounds) had her best game of the season.

Staten Island players wait to take the field during their Little League World Series game in Williamsport, Pa., on Aug. 20, 2024. AP

Florida 6, Staten Island 1: The dream run by South Shore Little League came to an end as the Staten Island team was eliminated from the World Series. The team’s coach, Bob Laterza, also was caught in an unflattering war of words with the Yankees over a perceived rebuke of Aaron Judge.

A season for $occer justice

This is the Premier League season where everything might change.

The top English soccer league kicked off its 2024-25 season over the weekend with plenty of intrigue, but there has been an elephant in the room throughout the leadup and start of the season.

Manchester City, who became the first Premier League team to win four straight titles last season, cruised to a 2-0 season-opening win over Chelsea on Sunday and are heavy favorites to win a fifth straight. Arsenal, which has battled and finished in second the past two seasons, should be a formidable challenger again.

With talents such as Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City are favored to win a fifth straight Premier League title. AP

Man City — under City Football Group, backed primarily by Abu Dhabi United Group, which is owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family — has spent lavishly since the group took over in 2008 to build one of the top soccer powerhouses in the world. The team has been accused by the Premier League of 115 breaches of financial fair play regulations.

Now, after years of appeals and judicial delay, Man City will face a hearing in the coming months, according to The Athletic, and a verdict is expected before the end of the season.

The punishments are expected to be harsh. It could — and many hope will — serve as a reckoning for unchecked state-sponsored spending in top-level soccer.

Top-level Premier League executives have predicted possible penalties including a points deductions so severe (between 70 and 80 points) that it would guarantee City is relegated to the second tier, a recurring points deduction the next three seasons to hamper City’s ability to qualify for the prestigious and lucrative Champions League, massive fines, transfer bans and more.

Bukayo Saka and Arsenal are poised to ascend if Manchester City falter or get assessed a major points deduction. Action Images via Reuters

Many view the looming decision as an inflection point in the financial balance of world soccer.

Will Man City be held accountable, or will they be allowed to continue building superpowers with allegedly fraudulent spending practices and influencing the sport?

Are you ready for some football … in Ireland?

It will be a weird start to the college football season.

Florida State and Georgia Tech will meet in Dublin on Saturday (noon ET, ESPN) in the first game of the year. That means, after months of waiting for the sport to return, there won’t be any home crowd or the type of stadium atmosphere college football fans crave.

Last season, fans got seven games to watch on opening weekend. Florida State-Georgia Tech is the only game this time around with other teams still in preseason. Fans will have to wait until the following Thursday for more action.

Mike Norvell is bringing Florida State to Dublin for the college football season opener. AP

It’s similar to how MLB started its season. The Dodgers and Cubs met for two games in Tokyo while the rest of the league was still in spring training.

It’s almost as if both sports opted to soft launch with an international business trip instead of hard launch this year. It just feels disjointed.

Prospect of the day

George Lombard Jr. thrived on both sides of the ball Tuesday while doing his best impression of a Yankees icon.

The shortstop collected two hits, two RBIs and a run scored for High-A Hudson Valley, but his biggest highlight came with his glove.

Where have we seen this before? MiLB.com

With one out in the first inning, the 2023 first-round pick went far to his right to corral a grounder before making a perfect Jeter-esque jump throw from the outfield for the out at first base.

Andrew Battifarano

What we’re reading 👀

🏈 Interesting trip down memory lane to the 2022 NFL Draft, a major turning point for the Jets and Giants.

What a good deed by the Yankees’ Marcus Stroman.

🏈 The NFL’s new kickoffs are going to take some getting used to, writes The Post’s Mike Vaccaro.

🎾 World No. 1 Jannik Sinner was cleared after positive drug tests because, um, he got a massage from someone using steroid spray to treat a scalpel wound.

🎙 ESPN picked a predictable new host for “Sunday NFL Countdown.”

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