Ranking New York Jets' Team Needs Following Bye Week
With the New York Jets' season all but over, it is never too early to start looking at the biggest need areas that need to be addressed in free agency and the draft.
In some ways, the Jets roster has actually filled a few holes during the course of the season, thanks to some depth-chart changes and midseason blockbuster trades.
The needs are ranked in order and arranged in tiers, categorized by urgency needed to fill:
Top: Cancel meetings, order takeout, find a sleeping bag for the office: This position must be addressed before next season to avoid disaster. Top free-agent or first-round pick must be used here.
High: Starters will be lost over the next few months. High-end free agent or top-50 draft pick is ideal.
Mid: Maybe not a huge issue now, but a few miscues could make this position a real problem. Mid-level free-agent and/or mid-round pick could solve this problem.
Low: Get through some paperwork, and this is a non-issue.
Here are the Jets' top needs after their bye week.
Quarterback
1 of 7
Regardless of what approach the Jets take to any other aspect of their roster, finding a dependable situation at quarterback for 2015 remains at the top of John Idzik's to-do list.
The Jets could bring back Michael Vick to have a veteran presence at the position, but even if they are able to keep Vick (who will certainly want a raise) into next season, grooming another youngster to develop into a franchise-caliber player remains a priority.
There are no "sure bets" in this year's draft, but the Jets will definitely be in the mix to draft either Oregon's Marcus Mariota or FSU's Jameis Winston with what appears to be a top-five selection in the 2015 draft.
Whoever the Jets bring in (or bring back) to their depth chart, they cannot assume Geno Smith will even develop into anything more than a backup at this point. Investing more time into Smith will only drag on the rebuilding process and cost even more jobs in the long run.
Once the Jets get this position figured out, they will find that solving their other roster problems will be a lot easier.
Priority: Top
Cornerback
2 of 7
Marcus Williams and Phillip Adams have done admirable jobs filling in as starters this season just a few weeks removed from the practice squad, but there is no question that this position needs as much help as it can get over the next offseason.
Whenever an injury to Darrin Walls forces a team to re-shuffle their entire depth chart, you know depth in the secondary is enduring some lean times, to put it lightly.
The Jets will be getting Dee Milliner and Dexter McDougle back next season, but coming off Achilles and ACL tears (respectively), there is no telling exactly what caliber of player they are getting from either, as impressive as both players were when healthy.
Jets fans may be rejoicing the inevitable departure of slot cornerback Kyle Wilson in free agency, but his loss will open up another hole that needs filling in the slot.
Even in the best-case scenario with Milliner and McDougle returning to top form, this is a position that needs multiple starters and an injection of depth to be up to NFL standards.
Priority: Top
Offensive Guard
3 of 7
Even if the Jets do manage to strike gold in the draft and land a franchise passer to build around, he won't be very effective on his back all season. With right guard Willie Colon, the highest-penalized player on the team, showing signs of regression on his one-year contract, a massive hole will be opening up on at least one side of center Nick Mangold.
Meanwhile, the left guard position is anything but solidified. Brian Winters has been a massive disappointment as a third-round conversion from tackle. In fact, since landing on injured reserve last month, the Jets' pass protection has actually improved with second-year pro Oday Aboushi holding the fort.
While Aboushi has been serviceable, this still stands as a position that could use a massive upgrade at both positions. The Jets do have Furman project Dakota Dozier waiting in the wings, but he is an unknown small-school commodity that cannot be depended on.
The Jets have fallback options on the roster, but upgrades are needed at both guard positions before next season.
Priority: High
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Outside Linebacker
4 of 7
This position appears to be set for at least one more season, but with so many contracts expiring over the next two seasons, the Jets would be foolish to not bring in new blood to this aging position.
With just two-and-a-half sacks on the season and seeing diminished snaps to Jason Babin, Quinton Coples does not appear to be the bona fide edge terror the Jets were hoping he would develop into as a former first-round pick.
Coples’ contract expires at the same time as 34-year-old Calvin Pace’s, leaving the Jets with virtually nothing at the position beyond 2015.
Idzik did bring in two rookies at this position in this past year’s draft, Ik Enemkpali and Trevor Reilly. However, neither of these sixth- and seventh-round picks has done anything to suggest that he can be a starter in a couple of years.
The Jets do have some time to fix this position, but the sooner they attack it, the better.
Priority: Mid
Inside Linebacker
5 of 7
One of the more underreported stories of this season is the fact that longtime starter at middle linebacker David Harris is set to hit the open market this spring, leaving a gaping hole in his absence.
The Jets do have one budding star at this position in Demario Davis, but Harris’ departure would leave shoes to fill that no one on the Jets has proven capable of filling.
Inside linebackers can be found relatively late in drafts, but no youngster will be able to replicate what Harris brings to the table in terms of experience. Retaining Harris is the Jets' best option to avoid a setback in the short term, but a rebuilding team may not be in the market for a run-stopper who will be 31 by next season.
Priority: Mid
Nose Tackle
6 of 7
The combination of Damon Harrison and Kenrick Ellis has given the Jets a great young duo at defensive tackle for the last two seasons, but all good things must come to an end.
Both players are set to hit the open market this spring, and both are going to command a premium dollar—especially Harrison. Since emerging as a superstar in 2013 (the top-rated run-stopping defensive tackle by Pro Football Focus, subscription required), the former undrafted agent will be looking to cash in while he still can.
Retaining either player is certainly possible, especially in Harrison’s case. Failing to keep either of them, however, would put a crater-sized hole in the middle of the Jets' up-and-coming defensive front.
Priority: Mid
Wide Receiver
7 of 7
What was once one of the weakest spots on the team has suddenly become one of the few strong points on the roster—if everything manages to stay intact.
Percy Harvin has been surprisingly productive in New York, but his cap number for next season ($10.5 million) is nearly impossible to justify in any circumstance.
The Jets have leverage against Harvin in a re-structure because he does not leave any dead money against the cap if cut, but the sheer possibility that he may not be wearing green and white next year makes receiver a question mark for yet another offseason.
Even if Harvin is retained, there are still a lot of questions surrounding the depth behind the starters. Fourth-round pick Jalen Saunders is already off the roster. Shaq Evans, selected a few slots after Saunders, is on IR with an ACL injury. Greg Salas has been virtually invisible since a strong preseason.
This position has come a long way in a year, but there is still work to do before this trouble spot is finally solidified for the long term.
Priority: Low
Advanced statistics provided by Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
