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You hear this all the time, but it’s not accurate . . .
You hear that the Jets are one player away and just need a QB.
I got asked that on a Buffalo radio show the other day and the host was surprised to hear me shoot it down.
No doubt the Jets roster has a lot more talented than a couple of years ago, but they still have plenty of work to get done at positions beyond the QB spot.
So no, they are not one player away.
They have so other big needs aside from QB, and you could argue if they overspend at QB on mediocrity, it could hurt their ability to address some of these other spots.
Their run defense has been wildly inconsistent the last two years, with one big issue being gashed up the middle by big chunk runs. After the bye-week in 2022, from Week 11 on, it just wasn’t good, with the poster child for this problem being the 60-yard run by Seattle’s Kenneth Walker on the Seahawks’ first offensive play. This play, to a degree, perhaps, sucked a little air out of the Jets, who proceeded to play a poor game losing a must-win contest. You could argue starting out giving up a run like this on your first defensive play, it’s like taking the helium out of a balloon.
By the way, as much as so people don’t want to talk about it, Quinnen Williams is part of this issue at times. He got locked up by Charles Cross on this Walker play, contributing to this big hole opening. Not singling him out – there were plenty of other culprits on this play.
Hey, there is nothing wrong with having a super-athletic three-technique DT who is a little undersized, but it’s probably best to have a thick run-stuffer next to him.
Maybe Clemson’s Bryan Bresee or Baylor’s Siaki Ika in the draft or perhaps somebody like Pittsburgh’s Larry Ogunjobi or Minnesota’s Dalvin Tomlinson in free agency could help.
They also need a highly instinctive safety who anticipates things before they happen. It is unlikely the Jets will bring back Lamarcus Joyner at 32 coming off a hip injury, and Jordan Whitehead is tough as boot leather and brings the wood as a hitter, but his coverage work was a little uneven last season. Tony Adams has a lot of potential, but they need to add a veteran with A-plus instincts, not a see-and-go reactor. This is a big need!
They also need a superior coverage linebacker. If you noticed, covering tight ends was still a problem last year. Quincy Williams is one of the toughest linebackers in football, and an unflinching hitter, and has improved a tad in coverage, but he’s still too late reacting to certain coverages situations, and he’s so aggressive, he sometimes goes the “eye candy” on play-fakes, and puts himself out of position in coverage. C.J. Mosley has good coverage instincts but doesn’t have great speed, which can allow certain opposing offensive targets to pull away from him.
Look, there are other needs I will go over at a later time, but this “one- player-away” premise is flawed, with run-stuffing DT and a strong coverage linebacker and a ball-hawking safety being three other big needs.
March 2, 2023
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