5 Biggest Needs New York Jets Have Yet to Address This Offseason
It's almost as if the New York Jets were sulking while singing "Oh, Happy Day" until cornerback Darrelle Revis came along, dressed like Whoopi Goldberg and helping his former team find their groove.
And now, they're looking to be in better shape than ever with an opportunity to make a run for the playoffs for the first time in four years.
After acquiring the likes of Revis, Antonio Cromartie, Buster Skrine, James Carpenter, Marcus Gilchrist, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brandon Marshall, the Jets have already addressed most of their biggest needs this offseason. In fact, finding more needs to fill seems like more of a chore than it was for the Jets to address the needs they already have filled.
That being said, when a team finishes with a 4-12 record, there are always going to be spots that can be improved. Here's a look at a handful of the biggest needs the Jets have yet to address.
Outside Linebacker
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With Calvin Pace and Quinton Coples in the fold, the Jets have two starting outside linebackers who are fits for Todd Bowles' 3-4 scheme. That being said, Pace is 34 years old going on 100, and Coples' trajectory has not been as steep as the Jets had hoped when they selected him 16th overall in 2012.
Last year, the two combined for 11.5 sacks off the edge. To put it in perspective, 11 defenders notched that many sacks on their own in 2014. That list includes names such as Cameron Wake (Miami Dolphins), Terrell Suggs (Baltimore Ravens), Everson Griffen (Minnesota Vikings) and Jason Pierre-Paul (New York Giants), and that's just at the very bottom of that list.
Defensive ends Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson have been the breadwinners for the Jets' pass rush for the past couple of seasons, but a little extra teeth in the front seven never hurt anyone—well, except for opposing quarterbacks.
Free Safety
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When the Jets signed safety Marcus Gilchrist, more than a few eyebrows were raised. Sure, the Jets did not re-sign starting safety Dawan Landry after he hit the open market this offseason, but the greater need for the secondary was at free safety. Gilchrist has played strong safety for the Chargers for the past two seasons, before which he played a variety of spots at cornerback (right, left and slot).
This is not a knock on Gilchrist the player but rather on his position and how he fits into the Jets' future plans in the secondary. New York drafted Calvin Pryor in the first round last year, and although he struggled a bit as a rookie, he was also playing out of position for most of the season. He could still prove to be a strong choice as a first-round pick, but his chances of doing so become much greater if he's playing his natural position as a strong safety.
For now, the Jets have a bit of a quandary in that they must ask themselves whether Gilchrist and Pryor can form a formidable combination on the back end, and which one of the two will be playing out of position. Or their quandary could become their boon if they choose to target a free safety on the open market or in the draft.
Right Guard
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Yes, the title of this slideshow is "needs the Jets have yet to address," and yes, the Jets have addressed their "need" for a right guard by re-signing veteran Willie Colon.
That being said, if Colon continues to play up to the level he played last year, the Jets could have a need at guard regardless of his presence on the offensive line. According to ProFootballFocus.com, Colon earned a minus-16.3 grade as a blocker last season; that grade ranked him as the 66th overall guard in the league out of 78 guards who played enough snaps to qualify.
He drew more flags than the United Nations, with 14 of them over the course of the season, the most for any guard in the league.
Unless the Jets are going to leave the fate of their offensive interior in the hands of young bucks Oday Aboushi and Brian Winters, they may need to find a more suitable starting right guard for the 2015 season.
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Tight End
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With Jace Amaro and Jeff Cumberland still on the roster, the Jets' need for tight ends is far from dire. That being said, Amaro's rookie season was rocky at best, and Cumberland's future with the team remains up in the air as he enters the final year of his contract.
The two combined to put up 61 receptions for 592 yards and five touchdowns. Keep in mind that quarterback Geno Smith (a bottom-10 quarterback in nearly every major metric) was the guy getting them the ball (or trying to) last season. Nevertheless, unless Amaro makes strides and/or Cumberland is re-signed, the Jets will probably need a tight end at some point in the next 12 months.
The Jets have already done such a fine job of addressing the depth chart at wide receiver, but solidifying the tight end position would be the next step in providing either Geno Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick or a quarterback still not on the roster (Marcus Mariota, anyone?) with all the weapons he needs to get the job done in 2015.
3rd-Down Running Back
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Bye-bye CJ2K...or whatever's left of him.
Hello, void in the backfield.
Yes, the Jets still have Chris Ivory and re-signed Bilal Powell this offseason, but the team has a definite need for speed at running back. Chris Johnson may have been on his last legs, but the Jets will still need to find someone who can contribute on passing downs, both as a pass-catcher and in pass protection.
The Jets apparently have some faith in Ivory and Powell in that role; according to ProFootballFocus.com, Ivory participated in 201 passing snaps (154 as a receiver, 47 as a blocker), Powell participated in 187 (132 as a receiver, 55 as a blocker), and Johnson participated in 204 (170 as a receiver, 34 as a blocker). But the explosiveness is just not there in this group.
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