New York Jets Free Agency: How Latest Signings Will Affect 2012 NFL Draft Plans

The New York Jets need to address depth at several key positions this offseason, and though it was believed many of those concerns would be addressed through the NFL draft, they've already put their nose to the grindestone and are getting to work.

The team announced on Monday that they had signed defensive end Jay Richardson and safety DeAngelo Smith. Terms of the deals were not disclosed at the time.

Though the signings in and of themselves don't warrant scrutiny or praise just yet, the Jets are improving their roster from the bottom up, which is the way it should be done.

Drafted in the fifth round by the Dallas Cowboys in 2009, Smith was bounced back and forth on the waiver wire and eventually ended up with the Detroit Lions. He played in seven games, making six tackles with six assists and deflecting one pass. He has been bounced on and off practice squads and active rosters since then.

The Jets could be trying him out at safety, where they sorely need someone to take on the Cover 1 duties in their 46 defense. 

As for Richardson, the fifth-round pick for the Oakland Raiders has primarily played 4-3 defensive end with his previous teams, the Raiders and Seattle Seahawks. He flashed potential in the Oakland, with six sacks in limited snaps in 2008 and 2009. He wasn't a high-impact player, but any impact he may have had was greatly diminished by a defense that consistently ranked in the bottom 10 in both scoring and total yards.

Richardson did, however, fall out of favor with the Raiders over time. According to Pro Football Focus, he played 664 snaps in 2008, 247 snaps in 2009 and 108 with the Seahawks in 2010. He played in 16 games while starting 11 in both 2007 and 2008, but in 2009, he didn't start a single game despite playing in every game.

Richardson was put on injured reserve by the Raiders before the 2010 season began, but he was released by the team and given an injury settlement to allow him to play elsewhere when healthy. He played seven games for the Seahawks and was out of football in 2011.

As such, what Richardson can bring to a team remains uncertain at the moment.

The Jets may still be in the market for top-end talent at the outside linebacker position in the 2012 draft, as they will need someone to take over when Bryan Thomas calls it quits in the next year or two. However, this latest signing of Richardson gives them yet another option for depth.

Follow Erik Frenz on Twitter.