Reassessing Jets' Offseason Plan and Breaking Down What's Left to Address

You could almost hear the ticker-tape parade in the background as New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis gave a reintroductory conference call to the New York media. 

And that was only the beginning of the Jets' monumental, ground-breaking offseason. 

One big move after another has put the Jets into the mix as a potential surprise contender in the 2015 playoff chase, but to act as if their work is finished would be foolish. Even with every addition the Jets have made, the biggest question mark just so happens to be at the game's most important position: Quarterback. 

The Jets have run through their checklist with amazing efficiency, even when taking into consideration the Brink's truck worth of money they handed Revis. That being said, their work is not done, and it's not just the quarterback position that needs to be addressed.

Here's a look at how the Jets have done at executing their offseason plan, and what else they can do as they continue to build their roster for 2015 and beyond.

The Plan

The Jets entered the offseason with needs at seemingly every position, be it in the form of a starter or more depth: Quarterback, running back, wide receiver, offensive line, outside linebacker, cornerback and safety were all on the shopping list.

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Whether or not it was in the plan to reunite Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, it may as well have been. The Jets were desperately in need of cornerbacks, and they had to take some shots at the board, regardless of the names available or whether or not they had played for the Jets in the past.

The Jets had been heavily criticized for inaction at cornerback last season. No one will criticize them for sitting on their hands this year, as they signed three corners with starting experience to the roster.

Losing running back Chris Johnson, or the artist formerly known as CJ2K, was not a huge blow, but the Jets still need to find a scat back who can fill the role on third downs as a receiver out of the backfield and a blocker in pass protection. At wide receiver, the Jets have struggled mightily to develop their own players, and therefore they've been forced to expedite the process by acquiring experienced players to smooth the transition.

Another piece to the puzzle was the offensive line, where the Jets have been trying to find the right pieces through the draft for years. With Brian Winters and Oday Aboushi seemingly battling it out for one starting spot, the Jets knew they had to provide some insurance against them in the event that both men failed to show progress in becoming the starting-caliber offensive linemen the Jets hoped they could be.

At least they've tried to develop there; they have had a need at outside linebacker for years, and while Quinton Coples is finally coming into his own, his bookend, Calvin Pace, is 34 and approaching the end of his career. 

Give the Jets some credit for trying to address the quarterback position by acquiring Ryan Fitzpatrick. His experience in Chan Gailey's system and his rehab from a leg injury notwithstanding, Fitzpatrick could at least push young quarterback Geno Smith to be better.

The Execution

The Jets have added at least one player at all but one of the aforementioned list of needs—quarterback, running back, wide receiver, offensive line, cornerback and safety. The only position where they did not make a move is at outside linebacker.

Fitzpatrick may not be "the answer" at quarterback, but if nothing else, he could come in and already have a working knowledge of Gailey's offense. 

Former New England Patriots running back Stevan Ridley is not the scat back the Jets so desperately need, but he could form a nice one-two punch with starter Chris Ivory. His fumbling problems are at least somewhat overblown, according to Mark Daniels of The Providence Journal: 

Coming off knee surgery, the Jets probably have very low expectations of Ridley, but he could prove to be a very valuable piece in their backfield, and Gailey really knows how to use his running backs, as Yahoo Sports' Eric Edholm notes:

Their trade for former Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall could qualify as one of the potential steals of the offseason. Marshall had one of the worst years of his career last season, with the lowest totals in receptions (61) and receiving yards (721) that he's posted since his rookie year. But the Jets gave up only a fifth-round pick in exchange for Marshall and a seventh-round pick.

Basically, the Jets moved down 83 spots in the draft and received a five-time Pro Bowler and former All-Pro in return. 

Signing former Seattle Seahawks guard James Carpenter and re-signing Willie Colon helped keep the interior offensive line intact, and with two veterans to supplement the two young prospects, the Jets could go either way with the development of their front five. A four-year, $19.1 million contract with $7.5 million guaranteed is not a high price to pay for a guard the Jets hope will be starting for them one day.

Let's not rehash the cornerback additions except to say this: The money may have been a little rich in some cases, particularly in Buster Skrine's four-year, $25 million contract with $13 million guaranteed, but in Todd Bowles' defensive system, nothing is more important than top-notch cornerback play. The Jets took some chances to give themselves a competent defensive backfield, and they're hoping it pays off.

At safety, the addition of Marcus Gilchrist is a bit of a head-scratcher. The Jets just spent the 2014 offseason watching first-round pick Calvin Pryor play out of position, and although they are saying that Pryor will play his natural position as a strong safety, that only raises the question of why the coverage-deficient Gilchrist will be asked to roam the deep half when his real strength has been in the box.

The Remains

The work is not finished. 

The Jets have done a lot to renovate their roster this offseason, but the rebuilding process continues, and the biggest question marks that remain are at outside linebacker and quarterback.  

The Jets are widely predicted to draft Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, and there's a strong case to be made for him with the Jets; he may be considered somewhat limited and a product of a quarterback-friendly system at Oregon, but if there's one offensive coordinator who knows how to make a system quarterback friendly, it is probably Chan Gailey. 

As for the outside linebacker spot, there are plenty of prospects who will be available and make sense at No. 6. Vic Beasley (Clemson), Dante Fowler Jr. (Florida), Randy Gregory (Nebraska), Bud Dupree (Kentucky) and Shane Ray (Missouri) could all be considered potential fits in the Jets defense.

Beasley, Fowler and Ray are considered to be a little small for outside linebackers in the 3-4, but all three possess the off-the-charts explosiveness necessary to wreak havoc in the backfield. Gregory and Dupree have the right size, but both men have question marks—Gregory about his character and Dupree about whether he can stop relying on his athleticism. 

That being said, an outside linebacker probably will not get the Jets over the hump and into the playoffs. A quarterback remains the biggest need, and the one that if not filled could make the Jets' other offseason moves all for naught.