It's safe to say Jets special teams coach Brant Boyer was ecstatic to see not one, but two of his players reach the Pro Bowl last season. Kick and punt returner Andre Roberts and kicker Jason Myers both put together solid seasons, good enough to be voted among the NFL's best to represent the Jets.
But, now, Boyer doesn't have the luxury of those two on his depth chart any longer. Roberts is now a Buffalo Bill and Myers signed with the Seahawks, with both players not happy New York wasn't competitive in bringing them back.
Roberts, in particular, was one of the best return specialists in the NFL last season. He totaled 1,147 yards on 40 returns (29.4 ypr) with one touchdown, and had 324 yards on 23 punt returns (14.1 ypr) with a touchdown as well. That type of production will be hard to match, and Boyer knows it.
"It's challenging to replace every position," Boyer told The Post's Ethan Sears. "Andre did a hell of a job for us, there is no doubt. That's gonna be a challenging deal when we go to play [Roberts] twice this year, which makes it harder. But he did a fantastic job, and every position is a challenge that you have to replace."
Myers also had a career year, going 33-for-36 in field goal attempts with his longest coming from 56 yards out. He was also 30-for-33 on extra point attempts.
Boyer recognizes the business aspect of the game, calling this "a tough situation" for his group. But he has confidence players will step up in their absence this season.
"You gain players every year, you lose players every year. And, is it hard to replace guys like that? It sure is. I'm confident that somebody will emerge and we can get that done."
Replacing Roberts will likely be Trenton Cannon, the Jets' sixth-round pick in 2018 that could solidify a role for himself if he does indeed win the return job. As for Myers' replacement, the Jets brought in a familiar leg in Chandler Catanzaro, who was their placekicker in 2017. He went 25-for-30 (83.3 percent) in field goal attempts with a perfect 29-for-29 on extra point attempts.
Can these two match the numbers Roberts and Myers totaled? Boyer will sure hope so. He is one of the lone coaches that wasn't purged following Todd Bowles' firing. Gase kept him on board, and he believes that relationship has been fluid thus far.
"I think that the relationship with Adams' been awesome," Boyer said. "He caresd about special teams, wants to a real good special teams and hopefully we can give him that.
"I'm excited to see where this takes us."
What Roberts and Myers gave the Jets last season was invaluable, and was always an advantage with their consistent play. Losing them would suggest special teams would take a hit.
Don't tell Boyer that.
"There is no steps back," he said.