Dominant Jets Defensive Line Should Be Building Block for Future

It looks like the New York Jets could be starting over again with a new head coach very soon.

But that doesn't mean they have to blow it all up and start from scratch across the board.

With a few first-round picks, a few veterans and the development of an undrafted free agent, the Jets have developed a dominant defensive line that can make an opponent one-dimensional on its own. Their hard work shouldn't go to waste simply because the head coach is on his way out. 

Over the years, high-profile defensive linemen like Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson have changed the way their opponents play the game. Factor in Damon Harrison, and the Jets defensive line has been one of the most formidable groups in football.

Category	2013	NFL rank	2014	NFL rank
Att	421	9	349	7
Yds	1412	3	1225	4
TD	9	6	7	5
Y/A	3.4	1	3.5	3

In the past two seasons, the Jets have ranked in the top 10 in nearly every important category of run defense. Running into the jaws of the Jets defense has been an altogether fruitless task, to the point that opposing teams have avoided the endeavor entirely. 

Wilkerson, Richardson and Harrison have been the primary trio on running downs. With 959 combined pounds of beef among the three of them, moving the line of scrimmage has been nearly impossible.

According to stats website Pro Football Focus (subscription required), those three have combined for 78 "stops" in the running game. Wilkerson has logged 27, Richardson has notched 21 and Harrison has notched 30. A "stop" is classified as any play that does not succeed for the offense. According to the site, a "successful play" on offense is defined as gaining 40% of required yardage on first down, 60% on second down and the entire required yardage on third or fourth.

Wilkerson and Richardson are being recognized for their dominance as evidenced by the 2014 Pro Bowl balloting.

There are so many different kinds of defense in the NFL, but with a defensive line as dominant as the unit the Jets have built, you can execute nearly all of them. 

Regardless of who the Jets coach is beyond this year, they will have the foundation for what they want to do defensively. Both Wilkerson and Richardson have the versatility to move inside in a 4-3 and outside in a 3-4. Harrison is a force as a run-stuffing nose tackle and could play inside in either scheme.

PFF grades Wilkerson as the second-best 3-4 defensive end in the league this year with Richardson coming in at No. 4. Harrison gets the No. 17 spot among all defensive tackles both in 3-4 and 4-3 fronts. 

One area they will need some help is on the edge, where they don't have a dynamic pass-rusher who can create pressure and get into the backfield on a consistent basis. That was supposed to be 2012 first-round pick Quinton Coples, but thus far the North Carolina product has not developed his physical skills into a top-tier pass-rusher. 

As good as Wilkerson, Richardson and Harrison all are, they are mostly seen rushing against guards and centers—Harrison, to that end, isn't really rushing much at all (198 pass-rush attempts this season against 239 snaps in run defense). But when those three are rushing at the same time, it should make life easier on whoever else is rushing alongside them. 

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Wilkerson and Harrison will almost always occupy two blockers, leaving two more blockers (an offensive lineman and a tight end or running back) to block Richardson and whoever else is rushing on a given play.

That's what allowed Coples and Calvin Pace to team up for this sack of Buffalo Bills quarterback Kyle Orton.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

With the entire offensive line preoccupied with Wilkerson, Richardson and Harrison in the middle, Coples and Pace were able to get a free rush. The tight ends may have initially been asked to block them, or perhaps there was a miscommunication somewhere along the line, but the fact that the Jets' defensive line was such a nightmare that it preoccupied all five offensive linemen tells you all you need to know.

Whether it's Rex Ryan (not likely) or someone else (highly likely) coaching the Jets next year, the edge pressure has to be on the list of priorities—though certainly, it won't be priority No. 1.

As you may have heard, the Jets didn't do much to improve their secondary this past offseason, which led to a lack of depth that really hurt them in the long run. The good news is the Jets will be getting cornerbacks Dee Milliner and Dexter McDougle back off of injured reserve. The bad news is their depth is still shaky, so the cornerback position will also need to be a priority.

Those pieces will all be added in time, and it will be up to whoever is leading the Jets after this season, whether it's John Idzik as general manager, Rex Ryan as head coach or two different people in those positions. 

One thing that does not need to be tweaked is the trio of Wilkerson, Richardson and Harrison. 

Follow @ErikFrenz