New York Jets: Ranking Remaining Offseason Priorities
The New York Jets have gone through their list of needs one by one and addressed nearly all of them. They've compiled nearly all the pieces they think they'll need in order to assemble a championship puzzle.
Now, it's time to start fitting those pieces together into a championship team.
In some spots, this will be easy. The Jets' mind is made up for them at cornerback, where it's clear that Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie will be the top two starters. At other spots, however, the decision is still very much up in the air. Who will be the starting guards? What about the rotation on the defensive line?
Oh, by the way, there's still the small matter of naming a starting quarterback. Who will be taking the snaps in Week 1?
Here's a handful of things that the Jets still need to sort out before the beginning of the 2015 season.
5. Determine Who Will Be Primary Scatback
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Between Chris Ivory, Stevan Ridley, Bilal Powell and Zac Stacy, the Jets are stocked to the hilt with powerful running backs capable of breaking tackles and running hard in the middle of the field. What they lack, however, is a talented receiving back who can give the team a lift in passing situations.
As we speak, Powell is the closest thing the Jets have to a true scatback. Powell was used primarily on passing downs in 2014, with 187 of his 242 snaps coming in the passing game (132 as a receiver, 55 as a blocker). He was kept in blitz protection more often than any other Jets running back, but he didn't make as much of his opportunities as a receiver as his teammates (11 receptions, 92 yards).
In the past, Jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey has had some talented receiving backs to work with. When he was with the Buffalo Bills, Gailey was lucky enough to work with running backs like C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson, who could split out wide to run routes or take a dumpoff pass for a long gain. With the Jets, Gailey may have to get a bit more creative.
4. Name a Pair of Starting Guards
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Between James Carpenter, Willie Colon, Brian Winters, Oday Aboushi and Jarvis Harrison, the Jets have a lot of possibilities on their offensive line.
Possibly, Carpenter will be a better fit for the Jets scheme than he was for the Seattle Seahawks. Possibly, Oday Aboushi can continue his ascent as a starting guard. Possibly, Willie Colon can make the most out of his third consecutive contract year. Possibly, Jarvis Harrison stays motivated enough to realize his full potential as an NFL offensive lineman.
But possibilities aren't going to block interior defensive linemen. Possibilities aren't going to keep Geno Smith (or whoever is the starting quarterback) from getting hit, and possibilities certainly aren't going to open up holes in the running game.
Give the Jets credit: At least they've given themselves a wide variety of options at a position of need. They've created a training camp competition between two veteran starters (Carpenter and Colon), two young starters (Winters and Aboushi) and a rookie (Harrison).
3. Sort out Rotation on Deep Defensive Line
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Muhammad Wilkerson. Sheldon Richardson. Damon Harrison. Quinton Coples. Leonard Williams.
There's absolutely zero chance that head coach Todd Bowles is complaining about the Jets' depth on the defensive line. But there's also zero chance that the Jets will put all five men on the field at the same time on a consistent basis.
Sure, we'll probably see more than a few defensive personnel packages that involve each of those talented linemen. Wilkerson and Williams are better suited on the inside, but both can play on the end. Put Richardson and Harrison between them, and you have a fearsome foursome of defensive linemen. Coples can go on the end of the line in those situations, taking advantage of some of the free rushes he will see as a result.
The Jets are a 3-4 base defense, though, so the chances are slim that we'll see that package on a consistent basis. Wilkerson, Richardson and Williams are the most likely to get a majority of the snaps, with Harrison making more appearances on running downs and Coples on passing downs.
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2. Name a Starting Quarterback
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It's not exactly Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield or Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao, but the Jets have an important battle brewing at the quarterback position between Geno Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Bryce Petty for the starting job.
Fitzpatrick and Smith have been the primary competitors for the starting job in minicamp, but there's still plenty of time left. As a rookie, Petty is already behind the eight ball and may have a difficult time getting an edge over the two more experienced passers on the depth chart.
There are no ties between Smith and the new regime, so there are no repercussions for pulling the plug on the Smith experiment. That being said, perhaps Gailey's past experience with Fitzpatrick could make him the favorite.
It's all up for debate and will all be determined in time. Until then, the Jets have one more thing to do.
1. Set the Quarterback Up for Success
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What could possibly be more important than naming a starting quarterback? Setting him up for success.
Chan Gailey has made a history out of making quarterback lemons into lemonade. He even did it with one of the quarterbacks currently on the Jets' roster in Ryan Fitzpatrick. He could certainly work his magic with Geno Smith and—down the line—Bryce Petty.
One of the ways he has been successful in managing his quarterbacks is by accentuating their strengths and masking their weaknesses. With the Buffalo Bills, Gailey engineered the entire offense around Fitzpatrick's inability to throw accurate downfield passes. If Fitzpatrick is the starter, we'll probably see more of the same.
He's also made use of the pistol offense. If it's Geno Smith as the starter, we should see much more of the pistol, which will allow Smith to use his athleticism as a threat and force defenses to respect his ability to run.
Whatever happens at quarterback, the next step in that process will be to gear the game plan around the strengths and weaknesses of his passer.
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