Five Off-season fixes: New York Jets
With Super Bowl LI over, it’s time to turn our attention to the off-season. In this series, I’ll take a look at each of the teams who finished at the bottom of their division and prescribe five off-season fixes that should get them back in the mix next season. Let’s start with the AFC East and the New York Jets.
A year after narrowly missing out on a wild card spot in Todd Bowles’ first season as head coach, the Jets find themselves at the bottom of the AFC East. This season, the Jets seemed to give up, losing their competitive fire early on a stumbling to a 5–11 finish. Whether that was down to Bowles’ coaching or problems with the players, it was unacceptable for a team that was a year removed from almost making the playoffs. Here a five off-season fixes to get Gang Green back in the mix:
- Find a quarterback
After one of the best seasons of his career in 2015, Ryan Fitzpatrick held out in the off-season, an unnecessary distraction for a team chasing a playoff spot. Now, after a bad year, Fitzpatrick will probably depart, as will disappointing back-up Geno Smith. The Jets possess the sixth overall pick and have unproven young signal callers on the roster in Bryce Petty (4th round, 2015) and Christian Hackenburg (2nd round, 2016). With former New Orleans wide receivers coach John Morton coming in as offensive coordinator, both will have to learn a new system. The Jets could probably draft a quarterback sixth overall, and allow them time to develop with Morton. North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky, Notre Dame’s Deshone Kizer, and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson could all fall to the Jets. Expect a training camp competition.
2. Decide what to do with veterans
The Jets aren’t a particularly young team, with several veteran starters beginning to decline. Centre Nick Mangold must try to return from an ankle injury, Fitzpatrick regressed after a strong 2015 and a new contract, and Darrelle Revis looks like a shadow of his former self. Revis may move to safety, Mangold may retire, and Fitzpatrick will likely be allowed to walk. Finding replacements for these veterans should be a priority.
3. Revamp the secondary
The Jets allowed 30 passing touchdowns this season, tied for sixth most in the league. With Darrelle Revis proving more of a holiday than a prison for opposing receivers, the Jets need to find some playmakers. In a deep draft for defensive backs, the Jets could draft a signal caller in the first round and still find some starting corners in the second round. Players like Michigan’s Jourdan Lewis or Florida’s Quincy Wilson could still be available in later rounds.
4. Find a pass rush
The Jets had just 27 sacks this year, 29th worst in the league. For a defensive-minded coach like Todd Bowles, that statistic is unacceptable. Defensive ends Leonard Williams and Muhammad Wilkerson were New York’s most successful rushers, but the Jets need to get more sacks from their linebackers and defensive backs (Bowles loves blitzing with cornerbacks). There could be several solutions in free agency, with players like Malcolm Smith, Rolando McClain and Nick Perry potentially hitting the market.
5. Find depth
With several declining veterans playing at important positions, the Jets lack the depth to be able to cope when even struggling starters are injured. The Jets need to find some capable rotational players at the skill positions and on defense, especially pass rushers. Either the draft or free agency is the best way to do that, with decent contributors at receiver usually available on the second day of the draft.
