The Jets had a disappointing 2018 season. The team did not have high expectations, by any means with Darnold in his rookie year but the team only managed to win four games and missed the playoffs for the eighth straight season.
Coming off an abysmal year this was a busy and hectic offseason with moves made throughout the organization to finally break through. The Jets now have playoffs on their mind, but what is the outlook of the team going into 2019?
Losses :
- Andre Roberts
- Jason Myers
- Josh Martin
- Josh McCown
- Mike Pennel
- Isaiah Crowell
- Jermaine Kearse
- Morris Claiborne
The Jets lost most of their players that were free agents from their 2018 team. That may not be a bad thing when you won four games with those guys. However, the Jets did have the league’s best special teams unit in 2018 and in free agency they lost two of the biggest pieces of that group in Andre Roberts, and Jason Myers. Both Jason Myers and Andre Roberts did not seem like huge signings when they were announced but they both churned out career years.
Letting Jason Myers walk has proven to be costly as the Jets have yet to find a reliable replacement. The team signed a familiar face in Chandler Catanzaro back in the middle of March but he was shaky throughout camp and first preseason game. He followed that up by unexpectedly retiring a day after their first preseason action. The team soon signed placekicker Taylor Bertolet who went 1-3 on extra points but hit his lone field goal attempt in their second preseason game against the Falcons. They will surely have an eye out for kickers who get cut or even call up Matt Bryant to kick for them.
Andre Roberts was also a tough blow for the team as he was completely unstoppable in 2018. Roberts had a touchdown on a punt and kick return. He also averaged nearly 15 yards per return on punts and nearly 30 yards per return on kickoffs which were career bests and constantly set up Sam Darnold and company in a great position. Trenton Cannon has yet to show anything at kick returner but Greg Dortch has flashed at punt returner. It will be tough to match the production Roberts gave the team.
Of the other players the team lost this offseason, none is truly noteworthy. All are replacement level players who won’t make a huge difference on a team.
Additions:
- Le’Veon Bell
- CJ Mosley
- Kelechi Osemele
- Ryan Kalil
- Jamison Crowder
- Brian Poole
- Quinnen Williams
- Jachai Polite
- Bake Cashman
- Chuma Edoga
- Tom Compton
- Alex Lewis
Boy was this a big and exciting offseason for Jets fans. The front office was completely turned over with Todd Bowles and Mike Maccagnan being let go after the past three years combined for only 14 wins.
Maccagnan was not let go until the middle of May so he was allowed to take on a free agency in which they had over 100 million in cap space and a draft in which they held the third overall pick. How did the GM do on his way out?
The Jets brought in the two top free agents on both sides of the ball landing Le’Veon Bell to help out Darnold and CJ Mosley to be a leader on the defense. In order to continue to help Darnold, slot receiver Jamison Crowder was quickly signed along with Ty Montgomery; both will serve as safety nets. A fifth-round pick was turned into a former all-pro guard as they made the move to acquire Kelechi Osemele. To bulk up the line, new GM Joe Douglas brought in Ryan Kalil out of retirement to help out the weakest spot on the offense and be a mentor for Darnold.
With a 4-12 record comes a high draft pick for the Jets, and they were rewarded with the third overall pick. They turned that pick into humble star Quinnen Williams who many thought was the best player in the draft. With their second-round draft pick going to the Colts in the trade up to get Darnold, they were left with limited draft picks which ultimately became Jachai Polite, Chuma Edoga, Trevon Wesco, Blake Cashman, and Blessaun Austin. With the unfortunate injury to Avery Williamson in the preseason, a role opens up for Blake Cashman who will now be pushed into big reps.
The two spots on the team where they failed to add a major contributor were at edge and corner which are also the two weakest spots on the team. Gregg Williams will be tasked with finding a way to mask those issues this year and will have a tough task of having Daryl Roberts being his CB2 and have to rely on Jordan Jenkins and a rookie for pressure.
Overview:
The Jets made moves throughout their organization this offseason. There was a ton of roster turnover in the six months but of course, their front office was shaken up as both Todd Bowles and Mike Maccagnan were let go.
The firing of the general manager came as a surprise to many as he was let go in the middle of May after he was allowed to carry out the team’s free agency and draft process. The firing of Bowles came as much less of a surprise as he was under fire for most of his tenure. In a surprise move, the team brought in former Dolphins head coach Adam Gase to help groom Darnold. The answer at general manager was the prized executive in Joe Douglas out of Philadelphia who helped build their 2017 Super Bowl team. The major shakeup in the front office will have to reap a change in philosophy but results will be seen over time.
This should certainly be an interesting year for gang green. For the first time in what seems like forever, the New York faithful have a team to be excited about and with good reason. If Darnold can continue his play from preseason, and carry it over the regular season, this team will have big things in store. In the first year of Adam Gase, the offense will be fun to watch.
On the defensive side of the ball, just how much of a Houdini is Gregg Williams and will he be able to mask the issues they have at cornerback ? If Quinnen Williams is anything close to as advertised, the defense will be stout.
This team has playoffs on their mind and could very well sneak in if they start off hot. Their first six games will make it tough though as they start against Buffalo, Cleveland, New England, Philly, Dallas, and New England again.
Season Prediction: 9-7 and just barely miss the playoffs. They are going in the right direction but are still a year away from making the playoffs.