How the hell am I supposed to know who this is?

In an occasional feature, we briefly highlight any of the lesser-known players that make an unexpected impact during camp, preseason or the regular season.

Today, we focus on cornerback/return specialist Brandon Codrington:

What he did:

Codrington had been languishing on the third team on defense and not getting any return opportunities until late in the preseason opener when he got his shot and did this:

In the next game, he made an immediate impression again with his very first touch, as he took the opening kickoff of the second half 63 yards.

He didn't stop there, breaking three tackles on a 15-yard punt return and then following that up with this Houdini act:

Perhaps just as important as these plays was how he also confidently came up to make a fair catch under pressure when the vice got beaten.

Codrington is also showing some signs that he might not be a complete zero as a slot cornerback either. In Wednesday's joint practice with the Giants, for example, it was his fourth down pass breakup that ended the Giants' final two-minute drill that wrapped up practice.

Outlook:

Codrington wasn't even picked up as an undrafted free agent after the draft but clearly impressed the Jets at rookie mini-camp which he attended on a tryout basis, earning a contract.

Always a long-shot to make the team, he's been so spectacular in the first two games that another positive impact tomorrow night could make the team consider making him their return specialist for 2024.

It's not unheard of for someone in camp to come out of nowhere to steal the return role. For example, Kalif Raymond did it several years ago. However, the Jets had a quick hook on him after a few early fumbles and dumping him has arguably turned out to be a big mistake as he's developed nicely into a solid contributor for the Lions these past few years.

Plan A for the Jets has always been for Xavier Gipson to resume the return role he occupied last year and Gipson's place on the team seems secure as he's had a strong camp which has seen him being productive and getting nearly all of his reps on the first unit.

However, if the Jets view Codrington as a potential upgrade, they may decide to try and find a way to get him on the team and allow Gipson to concentrate on his receiver role. Despite Gipson's game-winning touchdown against the Bills last year, he didn't have another punt return of longer than 20 yards all year and his longest kickoff return was only 34 yards. Right now Codrington is averaging 20 yard per punt return and 38 yards per kickoff return.

Crucially, Gipson also hasn't had a chance to practice returning kicks under the new rules like Codrington has.

It will be interesting to see if Codrington can do anything further to impress tomorrow night and what this does to his roster status. Perhaps he could be carried on the practice squad and elevated for the first few games to give him a chance to prove himself. Would he even pass through waivers, though?

More on Codrington:

Here's our in-depth scouting report on Codrington.