NFL Team Previews: New York Jets
Starting off the second division of my NFL Team Previews edition, I will be doing the AFC East, leading off with the New York Jets. The Jets are coached by Todd Bowles and general managed by Mike Maccagnan. After going 10-6 in Todd Bowles' first year as coach, the Jets surprised many people outside of New York with how well they did. What was even more surprising, the Jets missed the playoffs with that record. Obviously, they have high hopes, but many rely on the resigning of Ryan Fitzpatrick to keep those hopes alive if they want to challenge New England for the division.
DRAFT RECAP: Two things I did not like about the Jet's draft: 1) Why draft a punter? I don't care what round it is, you don't need to draft one (or a kicker, Tampa Bay), since the rest of them are available in free agency. 2) Why wait so long to draft a corner, when it was a clear position of need as Dee Milliner is not doing well and Darrelle Revis is 31. I do like the Darron Lee pick, and I see him having a very solid season and will one day be the new David Harris for the Jets. Christian Hackenberg is my starting quarterback if their is no Fitzpatrick, and Jordan Jenkins helps shore up the OLB position.
FREE AGENCY: Obviously, the big news is RB Matt Forte coming in to replace Chris Ivory, but I'm just a little concerned with Forte's age. The Jets probably should have targeted resigning Chris Ivory, or going after a Lamar Miller or CJ Anderson, who has a few more years than Forte. He was great for the Bears, don't get me wrong, but injuries caused Jeremy Langford to break out, which led to the Jets signing him. The other big signing was NT Steve McLendon from Pittsburgh, and he was signed to replace Damon Harrison, who is now in the other locker room in the stadium, with the New York Giants.
PLAYERS LOST: Losing Chris Ivory to Jacksonville hurts, as he had a very good season last year and was a key part of what the Jets did offensively, and Damon Harrison was a force in the middle, but the Jets still lost a lot of other players. Starting ILB Demario Davis is now in Cleveland, the number 3 wide receiver Jeremy Kerley is in Detroit, and longtime left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson retired. Not only that, but CB Antonio Cromartie and OLB Calvin Pace are still available in free agency, and were both key factors on the Jets. Obviously, the Jets are going younger, and I don't blame them for building for the future.
CONTRACT ISSUES: The Jets are having two pretty major contract issues at the moment. First, they still have not committed to resigning QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who also had a career year last season. They have Geno Smith, Christian Hackenberg, and Bryce Petty in place, but any of them starting forces the Jets to take a step back. I side with the Jets on this one, not wanting to give him as much as he wants, because he frankly didn't really do much prior to last season in his career. Maybe the more important contract issue, is the one of Muhammed Wilkerson. He is probably the second best player on that defense, behind CB Darrelle Revis, and he wants to make a lot more than the Jets want to offer him. Again, I don't blame the Jets, because having Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams means that Wilkerson is expendable. I just think the Jets should have moved on from him already, or offered him a contract at least close to what he wants, because it's causing unnecessary problems in the locker room.
STRONGEST POSITION: Defensive line, provided Wilkerson is in a Jets uniform to start the season. Those 3 aforementioned players combined for 20 sacks last season, and they add Jarvis Jenkins to the mix. Losing Damon Harrison hurts, but Steve McLendon is being paid $3.5 million this year, so the Jets believe he can be a suitable replacement.
WEAKEST POSITION: Outside of QB, without Ryan Fitzpatrick, I'll go with outside linebacker. Lorenzo Mauldin had a solid season last year, but outside of him there are a lot of no-names at OLB. Jordan Jenkins is a rookie, but he wasn't a great pass rusher at Georgia, then you have Trevor Reilly, Deion Barnes, Josh Martin, etc. Never heard of them if you're not from New York? I'm with you there. It's basically a young, inexperienced group, and I think the Jets need to reconsider bringing in Calvin Pace for one more season.
FIVE MOST IMPORTANT PLAYERS TO THE JETS SUCCESS: The starting quarterback, RB Matt Forte, DE Muhammed Wilkerson, CB Darrelle Revis and ILB David Harris. I could have gone with Brandon Marshall here, but without knowing who the QB is, especially if they don't play well, Marshall and the rest of the receivers become a non-factor. Which is why the burden is even bigger on Matt Forte to have maybe his best season yet. Defensively, Darrelle Revis is needed to stay strong at CB, since the depth behind him isn't as strong as it used to be, and ditto for David Harris. And if Muhammed Wilkerson lets this contract stuff stagnate, it might not only affect his play, but it will also cause distractions, and that rarely leads to success.
PREDICTION: I'll have to assume Wilkerson stays put and Fitzpatrick doesn't sign at this point, so the Jets probably will take a small step back. This defense is rebuilding, but under Todd Bowles it should still be stellar. Offensively, there are a lot of question marks, and a lot is relied on from aging veterans, so don't look for it to be a strength at this stage. I'll put the Jets around 8-8.
