In advance of March 9, the start of free agency in the NFL, Pro Football Rumors will detail each team’s three most glaring roster issues. We’ll continue this year’s series with the New York Jets, who finished 2016 with a 5-11 record, last in the AFC East.
Depth Chart (via Roster Resource)
Pending Free Agents:
- Antonio Allen, S
- Brandon Bostick, TE (RFA)
- Mike Catapano, DL
- Ryan Clady, T
- Kellen Davis, TE
- Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB
- Erin Henderson, LB
- Ben Ijalana, T
- Wesley Johnson, C (RFA)
- Corey Lemonier, LB
- Josh Martin, LB
- Tanner Purdum, LS
- Geno Smith, QB
- Marcus Williams, CB (RFA)
Top 10 Cap Hits for 2017:
- Muhammad Wilkerson, DL: $18,000,000
- Eric Decker, WR: $8,750,000
- Buster Skrine, CB: $8,500,000
- Sheldon Richardson, DL: $8,069,000
- Brian Winters, G: $8,000,000
- Brandon Marshall, WR: $7,500,000
- Marcus Gilchrist, S: $7,375,000
- James Carpenter, G: $6,805,000
- David Harris, LB: $6,500,000
- Leonard Williams, DL: $5,081,146
Other:
- Projected cap space (via Over the Cap): $27,278,320
- Sixth pick in draft
- Must exercise or decline 2018 fifth-year option for S Calvin Pryor
Three Needs:
1. Find a franchise quarterback — or at least a stopgap: Consider where the Jets stood at quarterback position at the end of the 2016 preseason. Ryan Fitzpatrick had led New York to a 10-6 record and a near-playoff berth the year prior, and while the tape clearly indicated Fitzpatrick hadn’t transformed into an elite signal-caller, he had tossed 31 touchdowns and posted the best season of his career in 2016. Former fourth-round pick Bryce Petty was coming off an exhibition campaign that had seen him throw for nearly 500 yards, three touchdowns, and complete this gem to Robby Anderson, and while rookie second-rounder Christian Hackenberg admittedly struggled during the preseason, a rose-colored lens might have offered some hope on the 51st overall selection.
Fast forward to 2017, and any optimism regarding Gang Green’s quarterbacks has vanished. Despite finishing 27th in passes attempted, Fitzpatrick threw the league’s third-most interceptions, and while his contract has since expired, he’ll still count for $5MM in dead money on New York’s 2017 salary cap. Petty started four games but posted an even higher interception rate than Fiztpatrick, while Hackenberg never managed to get on the field, even in the midst of a lost season. Jets management now regards Petty and Hackenberg as nothing more than potential backups, and the club is essentially back to square one under center.
As usual, the free agent quarterback market is extremely lackluster, and contains only one player — the Buccaneers’ Mike Glennon — who could reasonably be considered a long-term option. Glennon, 27, has only thrown 11 passes over the past two seasons, but as the only available signal-caller who has both youth and a history of success on his side, he could be in for a nice payday. The Jets are reportedly interested in Glennon, but it’s doubtful they’ll pay the $13-15MM annual salary Glennon is apparently targeting.
Other passers will hit the open market next week, but none offer any sort of upside and are better viewed as potential bridge options. Brian Hoyer, Nick Foles, Josh McCown, Geno Smith (just kidding!), Case Keenum, Matt Schaub, and the like aren’t going to take the Jets to the postseason in 2017, but they could hold down the fort while the club develops a rookie. Jay Cutler is also a possibility for New York after he’s released by the Bears, while general manager Mike Maccagnan & Co. could hypothetically explore trades. The Patriots aren’t going to ship Jimmy Garoppolo to a division rival, though (and may not trade him to anyone), while the Bengals might also hold onto A.J. McCarron.
If Gang Green doesn’t find what it’s looking for in free agency or via trade, it will likely turn its attention to the draft. Owners of the sixth overall pick, the Jets will have the opportunity to select a quarterback if they so choose. They’ve already been linked to UNC’s Mitch Trubisky, who is being considered by multiple quarterback-needy teams at the top of the draft and may not even be on the board at No. 6. If Trubisky is still available, however, opposing clubs believe New York will run to turn in its card.
“They got their eyes set on the North Carolina quarterback,” one rival scout said in December. “The Jets are all over this kid. All over him. They’ll probably deny it if you ask, but they love that kid. That’s their guy. They’re not going to get him though, because I think that kid is going to get over-drafted.”
Clemson’s Deshaun Watson is also reportedly on the Jets’ radar, while other players such as Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer or Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes could be in the cards at the top of the second round (or later in the first if New York trades back). Even if New York signs Glennon (and especially if they only bring in a stopgap option), the Jets should look into spending a mid-round pick on a quarterback. Yes, the club has already witnessed two early-to-mid-round choices waste away on the bench, but a rebuilding club can never take enough bites at the QB apple. Brad Kaaya (Miami), Nathan Peterman (Pitt), Davis Webb (Cal), and Chad Kelly (Ole Miss) could come off the board on Day 2 or later.
2. Beef up the offensive line: The Jets have already parted ways with three of their top offensive linemen over the past few weeks, releasing center Nick Mangold and right tackle Breno Giacomini while opting not to exercise left tackle Ryan Clady‘s 2017 option. New York is probably set at the other two line positions, as guards Brian Winters and James Carpenter are in the midst of long-term contracts. But Gang Green needs to bolster the rest of its front five, or else its presumed acquisition at quarterback won’t have a chance to stay upright.
At left tackle, the Jets may turn to an internal replacement, as the club is already working to re-sign Ben Ijalana. While New York could face competition for Ijalana’s services, the recent infusion of talent to the free agent left tackle market should drive down Ijalana’s price and force him back to the Big Apple. Ijalana isn’t a spectacular blindside protector by any means, as he graded as just the No. 60 left tackle in the league last season, per Pro Football Focus. But he offers experience after posting 13 starts in 2016, and would give the Jets some sense of stability on the left side.
New York could also look to bring back Clady at a lower rate, or search the open market for options at both left and right tackle. Given that they’re beginning a rebuild, the Jets shouldn’t be targeting too many veteran free agents, and may want to set a cutoff age — say, 29 — to use in its evaluations. As such, free agents like Andrew Whitworth, Andre Smith, Gosder Cherilus, or even Clady (age-30) should be eschewed in favor of younger players. Ricky Wagner, Riley Reiff, Kelvin Beachum, Matt Kalil , and Russell Okung (in whom they’ve already expressed interest) could all garner consideration from the Jets, although the club could easily get priced out of their respective markets.
Sitting at pick No. 6 in the first round, the Jets probably aren’t in position to select an offensive lineman in what is considered a weak crop of front five players. In need of bulk draft picks, however, New York should entertain a trade down into the mid-teens or twenties, collecting more assets in the process and putting itself in a better place to draft a lineman. In the middle of Day 1, tackles such as Ryan Ramczyk (Wisconsin), Garett Bolles (Utah), and Cam Robinson (Alabama) could make sense for the Jets. If New York goes after a quarterback in Round 1 and waits until later in the draft to find a tackle, Antonio Garcia (Troy), Adam Bisnowaty (Pitt), and Taylor Moton (Western Michigan) will get consideration.
On the interior, the Jets seem likely to promote center Wesley Johnson into the starting lineup. Johnson, though, is a restricted free agent, and given his newly important status on New York’s front five, the Jets may now have to tender him at the second-round level at a cost of $2.7-$2.8MM. Like Ijalana at left tackle, Johnson was relatively inexperienced heading into last season, but managed eight starts during the 2016 campaign. Playing 657 offensive snaps, the 26-year-old Johnson graded as the NFL’s No. 33 center, per PFF.
While there aren’t a ton of center options in free agency, the Jets would do well to make a run at the Packers’ J.C. Tretter, whom Green Bay is not expected to prioritize next week. Tretter, only 26, boasts experience all along the offensive line (even including left tackle), and thus could act as a starter on the inside or at right tackle, while serving as depth at other positions. If New York wants to go after a pivot in the draft, LSU’s Ethan Pocic, Ohio State’s Pat Elflein, and West Virginia’s Tyler Orlosky will be available on Day 2, according to Dane Brugler and Rob Rang of CBSSports.com‘s rankings.
3. Fix the pass defense: The Jets, along with perhaps the 49ers and Browns, are projected to field one of the most barren rosters in the NFL, so we’ll cheat a bit here and combine two need areas into one. New York ranked 31st in DVOA in pass defense, so the club clearly needs to ameliorate not only its secondary, but its pass rush as well.
Gang Green is reportedly mulling a pursuit of a high-profile cornerback on the free agent market, and with Darrelle Revis already gone, and Buster Skrine also a possibility to get cut, the Jets may need to add several defensive backs simply to be competitive in 2017. None of the Jets’ corners graded among the top 60 CBs in the NFL last season, per PFF, so the club certainly could add a marquee defender such as A.J. Bouye, Stephon Gilmore, or Morris Claiborne, or Dre Kirkpatrick. New York also needs depth in the secondary, though, so it may target a second-tier corner like Kayvon Webster, Sterling Moore, or even failed former first-rounder D.J. Hayden.
The Jets might consider selecting a corner at the top of Round 1, but the only CB with that high a pedigree is Ohio State’s Marshon Lattimore, whom Todd McShay of ESPN.com recently mocked to New York. Lattimore, whom Lance Zierlein of NFL.com favorably compares to Vontae Davis, would give the Jets a long-term option at cornerback who would presumably start on Day 1. New York could also look at safeties at pick No. 6, but probably only if it releases or trades Marcus Gilchrist or Calvin Pryor. Jamal Adams (LSU) or Malik Hooker (Ohio State) might be on the board if Gilchrist or Pryor goes, and the Jets probably won’t dive back into the free agent safety market if it cut ties with one or both of those veterans.
Even more pressing is New York’s pass rush, which posted only 26 sacks and ranked dead last in adjusted sack rate. 2015 third-round selection Lorenzo Mauldin hasn’t shown much during his two years in the league, while Sheldon Richardson — miscast as an outside linebacker — is still on the trade block. Rookie Jordan Jenkins put up a surprisingly solid showing in 2016, but the Jets’ edge rushing corps, which also includes Julian Stanford and Freddie Bishop, needs a lot of work.
As noted above, the Jets should only be targeting youthful free agents as they begin their rebuild, so someone like Nick Perry (26) would be a good fit. But now that Chandler Jones, Melvin Ingram, and Jason Pierre-Paul have all been assigned the franchise tag, Perry is the top edge defender on the market and will be looking to cash in. Much of the free agent pass rushing market is comprised by veterans such as Julius Peppers and Lorenzo Alexander that shouldn’t interest New York, but the club could take a look at John Simon, who’s been overshadowed by J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney in Houston. Ryan Davis, who made the transition to outside ‘backer last season, is another low-cost option.
The Jets won’t get a shot at Myles Garrett in the draft, but they could identify Taco Charlton or Derek Barnett as worthwhile picks at No. 6. Possible choices on Day 2 (or later in Round 1 if New York trades down) include Tim Williams (Alabama), Takkarist McKinley (UCLA), T.J. Watt (Wisconsin), or Ryan Anderson (Alabama). One other name to watch is Villanova’s Tanoh Kpassagnon, whom Mike Mayock of NFL.com calls a “freak athlete” and says could go as high as the second round or as low as the fourth.