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They need to improve here . . .
So there have been a few additions.
But if everyone stays healthy this summer, they are going to have some very difficult decisions on the final cutdown.
Talking about defensive end.
It’s no secret, the Jets need to improve their edge rush.
But honestly, another just as important area, that needs to get better, is setting the edge against the run. Too often last season opposing runners took the corner on the Jets’ defense on outside runs, which is a no-no if you want to have an elite defense.
Obviously the return of Carl Lawson from a torn Achilles suffered last summer should help in both departments.
“I’ve had a major injury before and I came back better,” Lawson said recently. “This is different. I don’t really plan on not being better than what I was. Usually when I come back from injury, I’ve been blessed to always come back better than I was before. But if I don’t, who knows? But I plan on being better than what I was.”
Can we be better than he was before? It’s a good goal, but surely the Jets would take him just being as good as he was in Cincinnati.
To expect him to be better than before, now that he’s suffered a torn Achilles, two ACL injuries, and a serious hip malady in college could be asking too much, That is a lot of lower body injuries at a position, defensive end, that relies a great deal on lower-body explosion.
We shall see how he’s able to come back. It remains to be seen.
But Lawson, when healthy, is a player who gets a lot of pressure on the QB, and can set a hard edge against the run.
The Jets signed first-round defensive end Jermaine Johnson on Monday. Man, do the Jets need him to be special and turn into a double-digit sack guy. Lawson is a very good player, but not a double-digit sack guy. He’s more a QB pressure kind of guy, who gets occasional sacks.
So they need a guy who is going to consistently get 11,12, 13 sacks per season. That would help their defense a great deal.
With Lawson back, and the addition of Johnson, this will allow John Franklin-Myers to move inside on passing downs, which will be good for him and the team. He’s a better interior rusher than edge-rusher.
Who the reserves will be is where the tough decisions lie.
Obviously, former Seattle Seahawk and Houston Texan Jacob Martin is going to make the team. They gave him a three-year deal for $13.5 million with $6 million guaranteed (the most important part of the deal). So with that kind of guarantee, he’s making the team.
The Jets also signed veteran defensive end Vinny Curry to a one-year deal for $1.1 million with $800,000 guaranteed. It’s was a little surprising he got guaranteed money since he is going to be 34 this season, and he’s coming off a significant illness. Sometimes teams want to see if a player still has it at that age, so give a league-minimum deal with little to no guarantee. If the player shows some slippage in the summer, would they eat that kind of guarantee? Perhaps, but that is far from ideal.
So with Lawson, Johnson, Martin, Curry, 2022 fourth-round pick Michael Clemons and Franklin-Myers (on rushing downs) at end, there are six ends right there who are likely going to be on the team Week One, barring injury.
It’s highly unlikely they would keep any more than that, so what is going to happen with Bryce Huff, Jabari Zuniga, Tim Ward, Hamilcar Rashed and Bradley Anae. Some might land on the practice squad, but considering the presence of other six guys, all these players are probably on the bubble right now. We will get into this group a little more on Tuesday.
May 16, 2022
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