New York Jets: 5 Additional Questions That Be Must Answered This Offseason
The New York Jets have been big players in free agency over the last two years, but with the gloomy labor situation hovering over the NFL, as well as having salary cap issues, GM Mike Tannenbaum and company may not be able to spend as freely as they would like this offseason. The Jets may have to look in-house to fill some of their open roster spots or towards the one certainty left in the NFL: The Draft.
The Jets have the 30th overall selection and have some holes in their lineup. The wide receiver/pass rushing questions about their roster have been done to death, so let’s delve further into their roster uncertainties and look at some of the under-the-radar moves Sexy Rexy and Tannenbaum should consider to strengthen their Super Bowl chances in 2012.
5. What Will They Do With Kris Jenkins?
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Jenkins missed all but six plays in the 2010 season after missing 10 of 16 games in 2009. He is a massive force in the middle of the Jets' defensive line, warranting double-teams seemingly every play. A huge nose tackle is the staple of a Rex Ryan 3-4 defense (Haloti Ngata and Kelly Gregg in Baltimore) so that player can occupy two O-Lineman while opening up holes for his linebackers to blitz through.
While Jenkins, who will be 32 at the beginning of the season, has hinted at retirement; he is still due to make $3.75 million in 2011. Sione Pouha and Mike Devito filled in well during the season, but at times, the run defense looked suspect (most notably in the AFC Championship game). The Jets may roll the dice on 25-year-old Ropati Pitoitua to replace Jenkins.
The larger-than-life 6’8”, 315 pounder tore his Achilles in the preseason, preventing him from seeing any game time, but the Jets do have high hopes for the young Samoan.
The front office will have to decide if they want to risk roughly $4 million on an aging defensive tackle coming off two knee surgeries, or allot that money elsewhere.
4. Will We Have to Trust Nick Folk for Another Season?
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I’m still puzzled how the man kept his job all year. He only hit 77 percent of his field goals this season (30 of 39, placing him 24th in the NFL), while having many key misses throughout the year.
The Jets recently signed UFL Special Teams MVP Nick Novak from the Florida Tuskers to compete with Folk this coming season. Novak was 15-of-18 on his attempts during the year and led the UFL in points with 69. He does have some NFL experience under his belt, so it will likely be a two horse race for kicking duties next year. With no real kicking talents coming into the draft, these two PK options seem to already be set in stone for 2011.
3. Who Plays Beside Jim Leonhard?
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Another injured Jet this season was Jimmy Leonhard, the ‘Quarterback of the Defense’, according to Rex Ryan. He broke his leg just before the second New England game and was placed on IR. The Jets used a makeshift secondary, rotating through the likes of Eric Smith, Brodney Pool, James Ihedigbo and other practice squad players, but none of them could really take control of the secondary like Leonhard did.
All three are free agents, and all made approximately the same amount of money in 2010. These three players cost the Jets about $3.5 million total against the cap in 2010. Each should be looking for a pay raise next year. The Jets are unlikely to keep them all, so signing one (Pool, in my opinion) and developing a rookie safety behind him and Leonhard should be the direction for next season.
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2. Who Will Be the Fullback Next Season?
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Tony Richardson just finished his 16th year in the NFL and is still playing at a high level. However, he is an unrestricted free agent and has been pondering retirement. He has stated "I really haven't spent too much time thinking about it, just because I know that sometimes things are a little bit out of your control."
The Jets drafted John Conner in 2010 to eventually replace Richardson, yet he had very limited playing time in 2010. The Jets may be reluctant to have a very young one-two punch of Greene/Conner running through the O-Line, so they may be tempted to bring back Richardson for one more year to block for Greene, as well as for his invaluable presence in the locker room.
1. Who Will Be The Kick Returner/Punt Returner?
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Brad Smith had a 28.6 average kick-off return this season, but he will almost certainly be signing elsewhere this offseason. Antonio Cromartie showed some flashes of brilliance in the playoffs returning kickoffs as well, but he also may not be in Green and White in 2011.
That leaves Joe McKnight as a possible replacement, but with rumblings that the Jets may be getting rid of LaDanian Tomlinson, he may see an increased role in the offense thus limiting his special teams play.
Despite missing five games in 2010, Jim Leonhard still led the team in punt returns with 21 so he should reclaim that role next season since rookie Kyle Wilson did not show much promise in that position.
I would not be surprised if the Jets try and find another KR/PR late in the late rounds to fill the void left by Brad Smith. With Mike Westhoff running special teams for another year, he should be able to mold another player into a solid return man.
We'll See You In Indianapolis...
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The main positions the Jets need help with will be hard to fill through in-house options or through the Draft. They cannot hope to replace Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes with unproven rookies, so they are very likely to resign one or both of the "Flight Boys", or sign another veteran receiver in their place.
All signs are pointing to David Harris being tagged, but they will still need more help with the pass rush. Many mock drafts are suggesting the Jets will use the 30th overall pick to take an outside rusher, which would be great for the short and long term. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that it is not another Vernon Gholston.
Kyle Wilson did not play as well as Rex Ryan would have hoped, so he will not be taking over full-time opposite Darrelle Revis. Rex Ryan started with Lito Sheppard then upgraded to Antonio Cromartie, so there is a 0 percent chance he rolls the dice on a rookie cornerback to fill the void, so that position will also likely be filled via free agency.
Damien Woody’s days in Green and White also appear to be coming to an end as the 33-year-old’s season finished on the IR. King Ugly contest winner Vlad Ducasse appears to be the heir apparent in that position as the Jets want to get younger and cheaper on the O-Line after signing Nick Mangold and D’Brickashaw Ferguson to long-term deals.
The Jets will still be one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl in 2012 (if there is a season). With many of their prominent positions needing to be filled, they will more than likely be looking towards free agency to fill those voids once again. Promoting in-house and drafting should be used for developing players in the aforementioned positions as a means of familiarity and minimizing the salary cap hit.
If Mike Tannenbaum and Rex Ryan can mix a good dose of veteran presence and rookie delight heading into next year, then Rex Ryan’s guarantee may finally come to fruition.
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