Jets' New-Look Offense Headed in Right Direction

If the past few weeks are any indication, the New York Jets will be calling wide receiver Stevie Johnson and running back C.J. Spiller very soon. It looks like they are trying to reassemble the 2011 Buffalo Bills, with the signing of offensive coordinator Chan Gailey and their recent trade for quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (as reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter). 

But even if that isn't the plan, the Jets are headed in the right direction with their offense.

They got off to a good start last offseason with the signing of Eric Decker; trading for Percy Harvin in the middle of the season was a wrong turn; but trading for Brandon Marshall this offseason has put the Jets back on the right track at wide receiver.

Now, with a solid starting trio of receivers in Decker, Marshall and slot receiver Jeremy Kerley, the Jets will be locked and loaded with weapons for whoever ends up being their starting quarterback. 

Decker and Marshall both sport frames over 6'3" and weigh in at over 210 pounds, pretty close to the perfect size for a prototypical wide receiver on the boundary. Kerley is smaller at 5'9" and 188 pounds, with the quickness to create separation off the line of scrimmage and in the open field when running routes over the middle and out of the slot.

The Jets also know that improving their offense isn't all about improving the glamour positions. Signing guard James Carpenter is proof positive that they are aware of the importance of having a capable offensive line. Carpenter is massive at 6'4" and 321 pounds, but even with all that size and the Seattle Seahawks' success running the ball (top five in the NFL in each of the past three years), Carpenter still graded out better in pass protection than he did as a run-blocker in each of his five years in the league so far, according to Pro Football Focus. 

There is still a question mark at the other guard spot, but the bigger question is who will be throwing the ball behind them. In one sense, the Jets could certainly do better than Fitzpatrick—if he's the answer, the Jets aren't necessarily asking the wrong question, but their question may not be about anything further than the 2015 season.

Perhaps the question is "who can come in and quickly learn Gailey's offense?" Fitzpatrick is the obvious answer—and not because of his Harvard education, but because of his prior experience with Gailey. In fact, the Bills offense under Gailey was tailored specifically to Fitzpatrick's skill set. 

Depth	Behind LOS	0-9 yds	10-19 yds	20+ yds
Att	76	291	119	58
Comp	71	207	58	17
Comp %	93.4	71.1	48.7	29.3
Yards	500	1821	977	536
TD	0	14	7	3
INT	0	12	7	4
Rate	94.1	86.3	72	54.1

The Bills rarely asked Fitzpatrick to throw the ball down the field, primarily because he was not good at throwing down the field. Most of the Bills receivers ran routes over the middle, primarily because he was at his best when throwing over the middle.

All that being said, defenses were still able to neutralize him, primarily because of his limitations as a passer. So again, Fitzpatrick is not the long-term answer the Jets want.

But what about the No. 6 overall pick? The Jets could still grab Oregon's Marcus Mariota—another quarterback who is considered somewhat limited and a product of a quarterback-friendly system. They may have to beat out the Philadelphia Eagles in a bidding war to make sure they get into the top five, or at least higher than the Eagles, in order to grab Mariota. 

Eagles head coach Chip Kelly might like nothing better than to reunite with the prospect he scouted and who executed his offense for years at Oregon.

So, for as many smart moves as the Jets have already made, their work is still not finished. A few more moves are needed before the Jets can consider their offense completely rebuilt, but they are certainly much closer today than they were last season.