OAKLAND -- No surprise here: Center Nick Mangold, who didn't practice all week because of a neck injury, is inactive for the New York Jets on Sunday against the Oakland Raiders. His replacement is a surprise: It's Wesley Johnson, who was signed last week off the practice squad.
Johnson gets the nod over Dakota Dozier, who has been on the 53-man roster. Why Johnson over Dozier? Both players got reps in practice, so we're guessing that Johnson looked better than Dozier.
At least Johnson has played the position -- a little. A 2014 draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Johnson started seven games at center for Vanderbilt. That hardly qualifies him as a rock-solid insurance policy, but Todd Bowles evidently felt more comfortable with Johnson than Dozier.
This will be Johnson's NFL debut. Dozier, a natural guard/tackle, has played all of four snaps at center this season.
Let's face it, this isn't an ideal situation, but the Jets took a calculated risk by not having a backup center on the roster. We're not talking about a proven center, we're talking about any kind of center.
The Jets' other inactive players are running back Bilal Powell, wide receiver Devin Smith, safety Calvin Pryor, guard Jarvis Harrison, tackle Ben Ijalana and quarterback Bryce Petty.
Dion Bailey will start for Pryor.
