UA-59049186-1 2017 NFL Team Preview: New York Jets - Good if it Goes

2017 NFL Team Preview: New York Jets

newyorkjetsschedule

Last Year:

Record: 5-11

Offense: 17.2 (30th)

Defense: 25.6 (28th)

Offseason: 

Key Acquisitions: QB. Josh McCown, T. Kelvin Beachum, CB. Mo ClaiborneS. Shamarko Thomas, K. Chandler Catanzaro

Key Losses: QB. Ryan Fitzpatrick, WR. Brandon Marshall, WR. Eric Decker, T. Ryan Clady, C. Nick Mangold, LB. David Harris, CB. Darelle Revis, S. Calvin Pryor, S. Marcus Gilchrist, K. Nick Folk

2017 Draft Picks

RD(PK) PLAYER POS SCHOOL
1(6) Jamal Adams S LSU
2(7) Marcus Maye S Florida
3(15) ArDarius Stewart WR Alabama
4(35) Chad Hansen WR California
5(6) Jordan Leggett TE Clemson
5(38) Dylan Donahue DE West Georgia
6(4) Elijah McGuire RB Louisiana-Lafayette
6(13) Jeremy Clark CB Michigan
6(20) Derrick Jones CB Ole Miss

2017 Outlook 

Coaching Staff

  • HC: Todd Bowles
  • OC: John Morton
  • DC: Kacy Rodgers
  • ST: Brant Boyer

Offense

QB. Josh McCown, Christain Hackenberg, Bryce Petty

RB. Bilal Powell, Matt Forte

WR. Charone Peake, ArDarius Stewart

WR. Robby Anderson, Chad Hansen

WR. Quincy Enunwa

TE. Jordan Leggett, Austin Seferian-Jenkins

LT. Kelvin Beachum, Javarius Leamon

LG. James Carpenter, Dakota Dozier

C. Wesley Johnson, Jonotthan Harrison

RG. Brian Winters, Craig Watts

RT. Ben Ijalana, Brancon Shell

Defense

DE. Leonard Williams, Anthony Johnson

NT. Steve McLendon, Deon Simon

DE. Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson

OLB. Lorenzo Mauldin, Corey Lemonier

MLB. Demario Davis, Spencer Paysinger

MLB. Darron Lee, Bruce Carter

OLB. Jordan Jenkins, Justin Burris

CB. Mo Claiborne, Marcus Williams

SS. Jamal Adams, Shamarko Thomas

FS. Marcus Maye, Rontez Miles

CB. Juston Burris, Darryl Roberts

NB. Buster Skrine

Specialists

K. Chandler Catanzaro

P. Lachlan Edwards

 Breakdown

Offense:

The Jets are in full rebuild mode and the offense got the biggest makeover. At QB expect veteran Josh McCown to get the opening day nod. However, if the season goes the way many think it will, which is bad, then also expect the Jets to turn to whoever they like better between Hackenberg and Petty so the team can get a look to see if they already have the QB of the future on the roster or if they need to draft one. My guess is the latter. In the backfield Forte and Powell will be featured as a duo again and this year with Forte older and Powell coming off a more effective season one would expect Powell to be the top option of that pairing. With the lack of talent at the receiver position I would expect the Jets to maybe explore utilizing Powell more as a receiver as well. Speaking of the receivers, on paper the Jets receiving corps coming into camp may honestly be the worst ever assembled. Allow me to just run down the list of their current projected starting trio at the receiver position. Quincy Enunwa, Robby Anderson, and Charone Peake. Forget not having a number one or two receiver the Jets are parading around a bunch of guys who would not even be in the top four on a lot of NFL teams depth chart. The tight end position figures to be a little better with rookie tight end Jordan Leggett expected to be the starter. He helped Clemson win a national title last year and has elite size and athleticism for the position. He is still raw which is why he fell to the fifth round despite his talent but he should be able to catch more than 10 balls off of his talent alone which is more than you can say for the tight ends the Jets trotted out last season. The offensive line might be similar in terms of production to what it did in 2016. They replaced one bad LT in Clady with Beachum who also struggled last year so did they really get better there? Ben Ijalana started 13 games last year between both tackle spots and figures to have the best shot at being the starting RT but second year man Brandon Shell stepped in to play RT for the final three games last season and showed flashes of potential. He will push Ijalana for the job. The guard spots are the one constant with this group. The Jets are hoping for another good season from Carpenter and for Winters to continue to progress and get even better. At center Wesley Johnson will officially take over full time for Mangold who had manned this position for over a decade. Mangold’s overall play was starting to decline but he was still significantly better than Johnson was a year ago who filled in for Mangold 8 games. Overall expect the Jets to be far and away the worst offense in the NFL.

Defense:

It will be up to the Jets defense to keep this team from going 0-16 in a clear effort by their front office to tank this year. The Jets defense have a real shot to be respectable next year but they need the guys on that side of the ball to show up this year. It all starts up front where the Jets could have one of the best fronts in the game if they all play up to their ability. The front three will be Leonard Williams and Muhammed Wilkerson at the two end spots and Steve McLendon at nose. Williams was the lone star on a crappy defense a year ago and is well on the verge of super stardom in this league. Wilkerson was an elite player prior to the 2016 but battled an ankle injury and played hurt most of last year. He will have to get back to playing at that level if the Jets are to reach their full potential as a defense. McLendon is a solid run stopper who will mostly be used on run downs. Sheldon Richardson is the wild card. Once a pro bowler who was considered the future of the league he has fallen on tough times being suspended or disciplined by team on multiple occasions now. He was a great run defender last season but his pass rush ability has completely fallen off. He will be rotated all over the defensive line and given a chance to prove his worth but his days in New York are most likely numbered. The most concerning position on the Jets defense has to be the edge linebackers. There is not a single guy who has ever gotten 5 sacks in a season among the group and the 300 pound Richardson may be forced into playing some at OLB out of necessity. Maldin and Jenkins are currently the projected starters but my guess is it will be an all out competition for both spots throughout camp and preseason. The offline linebacker positions will be manned by second year man Darron Lee and returning Jet Demario Davis. Lee was the teams first round pick in 2016 and had a bit of a shaky rookie year but has all the tools to be a good linebacker in this league and figures to get better in year two. Davis was a former Jet who was brought back in a trade with the Browns and will hopefully give the Jets leadership and consistency at that position. The secondary is a complete mystery. The only player who played consistently at a high level last season is Mo Claiborne, who the team brought in to be the top corner in free agency.  Claiborne has not played in more than 11 games in a single season since 2012 so even if he does play well for the Jets how long until he gets hurt? Buster Skrine’s play regressed after a decent 2015 season but he figures to remain as the top nickel guy and have the opportunity to redeem himself. I expect Juston Burris and Marcus Williams to compete for the other outside corner spot. Burris is older and more experienced but Burris looked better of the two in the limited action he saw in his rookie year last season and could win the job. The Jets are expected to start two rookies at safety which is rare and highly risky. One guy that I suspect we will not have to worry about is Jamal Adams who some believed to be the best overall prospect in the entire class. He is expected to be a slam dunk pick and should produce at a high level from day one. Maye on the other hand was a second round pick from Florida and though he has potential he does not enter the league with the same profile as Adams and figures to have more of a traditional rookie caliber first year filled with ups and downs. Overall the Jets at best could have a middle of the road defense if Wilkerson bounces back, Lee progresses, and Claiborne stays healthy.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *