When the Jets selected Sam Darnold with the third overall selection in 2018, they made him the face of the franchise. So it was somewhat concerning when the team fired Todd Bowles, the head coach who participated in the decision to draft him. Coaches typically like to have a hand in selecting their quarterback, and now Adam Gase doesn’t have as much of a personal stake invested in Darnold.
In order to allow Darnold to take the next step in his development, the Jets need to upgrade the talent around him this offseason. There are defensive holes that need to be filled also, but when in doubt, the Jets should err on the side of spending their resources on players who will directly aid in Darnold’s development.
Here’s a closer look at a few areas the team needs to addressnz this offseason.
Offensive Line
The Jets threw together a patchwork offensive line in 2018, and it actually came together fairly well. According to Sports Info Solutions, Darnold was pressured on 27.2 percent of his dropbacks, which ranked 18th out of 36 quarterbacks.
Despite the solid performance in 2018, there’s no one on the offensive line who should be viewed as a building block moving forward.
Spencer Long, who signed an inflated four-year, $27M contract last March, has already been released. He earned just $6.9M on what ended up being a one-year deal. Long had some decent years in Washington prior to joining the Jets, but was a disappointing at both center and left guard this season.
Jonotthan Harrison, who took over for Long at center, is also an unrestricted free agent. As is James Carpenter, who started at left guard before a season-ending shoulder injury.
Between Harrison, Long and Carpenter, that’s 1,935 snaps the Jets need to replace on the offensive line, according to Football Outsiders.
Both tackles, Kelvin Beachem and Brandon Shell return, but are set to become unrestricted free agents after the 2019 season.
The Jets may attempt to re-sign either Harrison or Carpenter, but even if they’re brought back, the team should look for a young offensive lineman in the draft who could be ready to start by 2020.
Cornerback
The Jets paid a hefty price tag for Trumaine Johnson last offseason ($45M guaranteed) and mostly got what they expected in 2018. Unfortunately, the Jets are back in the market for cornerbacks, as both Morris Claiborne and Buster Skrine are hitting free agency this offseason.
Neither cornerback should be too expensive to bring back, if that’s the direction the team wants to go. However, the Jets do need to be careful with their spending in the secondary. Johnson already takes up a significant chunk of the payroll and they’ll need to pay Jamal Adams soon (his fifth-year team option takes effect in 2021).
New defensive coodinator Gregg Williams uses a similar balance between zone and man coverage as Todd Bowles and Kacy Rodgers did a season ago, slightly favoring zone coverage. Based on those tendencies, the Jets probably won’t have much interest in retaining Skrine, who allowed 21 receptions on 27 targets (77.8 percent) for 228 yards and two touchdowns in zone coverage in 2018, according to Sports Info Solutions.
Claiborne, however, allowed just 16 receptions on 33 targets in zone coverage (48.5 percent) and could potentially be re-signed for right price.
Since Skrine was the primary nickel corner, at a minimum, the Jets should look for an upgrade there. If Claiborne gets too expensive on the open market, they may need to addressnz that position as well.
It’s probably wise to plug a veteran into one of those slots, but given the money due Johnson and Adams in the future, the Jets would be wise to supplement their secondary with some cheaper draft picks as well.
Defensive Line
Nose tackle Steve McLendon and defensive end Henry Anderson are both coming off strong seasons but are hitting the free agent market. They are the two most important targets for the Jets to re-sign, and there should be plenty of cap space to make it happen.
However, McLendon is 33 years old; does he want to stay in New York for the rest of the rebuilding process? And Henry Anderson has never been a part of a winning season during his four years in the league, will he attempt to bolt for a better situation?
If the Jets lose both players in free agency, suddenly the defensive line would be a major concern.
With the No. 3 pick, Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams will be a potential target to help fill the void if necessary.
Wide Receiver
The Jets have been using Robby Anderson as their No. 1 receiver in recent years, but with limited success.
Anderson’s performance should be applauded given he’s often the only viable weapon on the field, and there’s obviously a role for him in this offense, but he’s ill-suited for the role which the Jets have forced upon him.
In 2018, according to Sports Info Solutions, Anderson hauled in just 52.4 percent of his catchable targets on throws 15 yards downfield, the lowest rate among receivers with at least 20 such targets.
Despite his ineffectiveness downfield, he led the team with 36 targets at 15 or more yards downfield. No one else had more than 17 (Chris Herndon).
The reason for Anderson’s struggles on downfield targets is due to his inability to create separation. According to Next Gen Stats, Anderson ranked 109th out of 125 qualified receivers in average separation at 2.3 yards. For comparison, Herndon and Quincy Enunwa tied for the team lead at 3.1 yards of separation.
On targets under 15 yards downfield, Anderson is far more effective, hauling in 84.8 percent of his catchable targets, the best rate among the Jets primary wide receivers, per Sports Info Solutions.
So there’s clearly a role for Anderson in this offense, he just needs to be surrounded with the right players to mask his weaknesses. If the Jets can add a downfield weapon either through free agency or the draft, Anderson’s production should increase by virtue of a higher percentage of his targets coming in favorable situations.
