5 Positions Where New York Jets Still Have Questions Headed into 2015 Season

The New York Jets have been one of the most aggressive teams this offseason, addressing almost every need at a rip-roaring pace, flying out of the gate in free agency with signings and trades left and right: One minute it was Buster Skrine, the next it was Darrelle Revis; one day it was a trade for Brandon Marshall, the next it was a trade for Ryan Fitzpatrick. 

A few months later they were stocking their depth chart for the future with one solid prospect after another that fell to them in the 2015 NFL draft, loading up on some already loaded positions like defensive line and wide receiver, while also adding youth and depth at outside linebacker and guard, respectively.

Even after all those moves, the Jets have still managed to leave some question marks headed into the 2015 season. There aren't too many more opportunities to make additions to the roster, but they've already checked off nearly every box; yet, they still have areas where they need answers.

Quarterback

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The Jets have made additions at the quarterback position, but they still don't have a foundation, a go-to starter and leader of the offense.

Could the Jets win eight or more games with Ryan Fitzpatrick, Geno Smith or Bryce Petty under center? Probably. Their defense is primed to be one of the best in football, and they have enough skill position players on offense to make life easy for whoever is throwing the ball and difficult for whoever is trying to play defense.

Petty could develop into a good quarterback in time, but he's not ready to start right away; according to NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, some scouts were concerned that "he could be product of Baylor's one-read system." He'll probably need a year or more in an NFL program to be ready.

Smith showed all the talent in the world at West Virginia, but for whatever reason, he's yet to maximize his NFL potential. Fitzpatrick has had success in the past, and has proven he can be a game manager when he wants to be.

But none of those three can truly be viewed as a long-term solution at quarterback right now. Let's face it: unless either Fitzpatrick, Smith or Petty emerges in training camp, the Jets aren't going to find a franchise quarterback before the 2015 season kicks off. But if their aggressive offseason moves are going to pay off, the Jets will need to get serviceable play from the quarterback position in 2015.

Free Safety

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This is another position where additions don't necessarily equal addressing the position. After signing Marcus Gilchrist away from the San Diego Chargers at the beginning of free agency, it looked like the Jets had created a logjam at the top of the strong safety depth chart with Gilchrist and Calvin Pryor.

Instead, according to Dom Cosentino of NJ Advance Media, head coach Todd Bowles plans to slot Gilchrist in at the free safety spot and allow Pryor to return to his natural position as a strong safety after spending a year out of position.

So, instead, Gilchrist will be playing out of position. He has struggled in coverage throughout his career; he allowed a 97.8 passer rating into his coverage in 2013, according to Pro Football Focus, which was the lowest of his career. Other than that one year, he has allowed a passer rating of higher than 100 into his coverage each year in the league. His better position is strong safety, where his coverage deficiencies can be hidden. 

The Jets didn't add any true free safeties this offseason, a year after that was one of their defense's biggest weaknesses. If it remains a weakness in 2015, they have no one but themselves to blame. 

Tight End

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The tight end position is a tricky one to get a read on for the Jets. 

The Jets just drafted Jace Amaro last season, and he has yet to hit his ceiling. But the regime that made him a second-round pick is already gone. Jeff Cumberland is entering the final year of a two-year deal he signed last offseason, and he has already hit his ceiling.

If Amaro makes the second-year jump, the Jets have no issues at tight end. If not, the future suddenly gets a lot more murky. That being said, there's reason to wonder whether Amaro will even have an opportunity to shine. Chan Gailey has not featured tight ends as frequently as other offensive coaches, as he prefers spread sets to putting multiple wide receivers onto the field at a time. 

The Jets don't necessarily need answers at tight end as badly as they need answers at free safety or quarterback, but the question marks remain. 

Outside Linebacker

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The Jets have needed an infusion of youth in their pass rush for years, and they finally added a young outside linebacker. Yes, a young linebacker. Pairing Louisville's Lorenzo Mauldin with fourth-year veteran Quinton Coples could give Todd Bowles the formidable duo he needs at outside linebacker.

But where's the depth?

Veteran outside linebacker Calvin Pace is nearing the end of his career, and while he should still factor into the rotation and will serve as a positive influence on Mauldin, there's no denying the value of a deep group of pass-rushers in Bowles' aggressive 3-4 defense. According to Pro Football Focus, 13 out of 25 Arizona Cardinals defenders rushed the passer 50 or more times in 2014. By comparison, the Jets only had 10 out of 27 defenders with 50 or more pass-rush attempts. 

The Jets will need more depth at outside linebacker sooner than later when the 34-year-old Pace eventually calls it quits. His skills have begun to decline already, so the Jets were wise to pick up Mauldin, who is a similar player. Mauldin has a little more pass-rush ability (20.5 career sacks in three years at Louisville), but his real strength is considered to be in the running game, setting the edge. 

He and Coples should be just fine as the starters in the defense, but the Jets will probably need to find one more young outside linebacker to build for the future.

Running Back

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The Jets feature one of the most talented and least versatile groups of running backs in the NFL. 

Between the hard-nosed running style of Chris Ivory, the hard-nosed running style of Bilal Powell, the hard-nosed running style of Stevan Ridley and the hard-nosed running style of Zac Stacy, the Jets will have their pick of solid, between-the-tackles backs who each have some burst in the open field. 

None of them, however, present a good deal of value or production in the passing game. With no true third-down option who can run good routes as a receiver out of the backfield or hold their ground in pass protection, the Jets may run into a bit of a bind if they're looking for a go-to back on passing downs.

Chan Gailey has a history of utilizing his running backs in effective ways, which is promising for this group, but he'll have to get pretty creative to make up for the Jets' running backs' lack of experience in the passing game.