Stephen Hill may not be a part of the Jets going forward.
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The Jets could be over the Hill.
A team source says Stephen Hill, who has battled injuries and poor performances during his first two years in the league, is no lock to make the Jets’ final 53-man roster.
A team executive, speaking to Metro on the condition of anonymity, says Hill “faces an uphill battle to make the roster and he is no lock to be here on Week 1.”
Earlier this week, Hill missed time in training camp due to illness, just the latest in a series of miscues as the high draft pick still hasn’t fulfilled his enormous potential.
“He faces a battle to make the roster, that’s for sure,” the team source said. “It’s not a definite that he’s on, not a definite that he is off. It just won’t be easy for him and he will need a big game on Thursday.”
The Jets wrap up their preseason schedule against the Eagles on Thursday (7 p.m., CBS2). Hill is battling the likes of Greg Salas, Saalim Hakim and Jalen Saunders to make the roster.
“Hill could well make the 53 and might well do so, but it isn’t a sure-thing, a lock,” the team source said. “Other players can and could pass him by.”
Hill was a project coming out of an option offense at Georgia Tech. His route running remains a work in progress, but he has largely cleared up the issue with the dropped passes that plagued his rookie year.
The source also said Saunders, despite missing the past two games due to a seizure suffered while driving to practice, has impressed the staff and “looks like someone who will make the cut.”
Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.
