New York Jets biggest off-season decisions
Sitting here in early February, with the draft still some three months away, the Jets have many holes to address on their roster on top of personnel decisions that must be made in the offseason. Let’s take a look at the most pressing questions the Jets face this off-season.
The QB Dilemma
There are many questions with murky answers that the Jets face this offseason, but none greater than the complications stemming from the quarterback issue. They hold the sixth pick in this year’s upcoming draft, but with a secondary, that needs a bit of a tune up, drafting quarterback could be delayed. Former Georgia standout and fifth round pick, Aaron Murray was brought in for a workout but in two years on an active roster, he has never seen the field.
He has more experience than any rookie but is there potential there to blossom? He’s spent time on the Chiefs, Eagles, and Cardinals practice squad so unless I’m missing something, it’s doubtful he can be expected to pan out into a starter. Geno Smith seems like the only reasonable option on the Jets current depth chart. He’s entering in year five which also happens to be a contract season too.
Say what you want about Christian Hackenberg but he’s still too raw for my likening despite what you may have heard about his potential. Is Smith the solution for the Jets in 2017? The Jets must figure out what their plans are going forward at quarterback in future years. Overreaching for a quarterback at six could be disastrous, but they do need to have a functioning arm in 2017.
2. Revis: Is this the price right?
Revis is due some $10 million in 2017, none of it being guaranteed. The Jets can’t gamble and hand out that kind of cash for the level of play that they got from Revis in 2016. At the same time, it would be nice to have him around for 2017 but at what cost. Any true Jets fan would love to see #24 with the Jets and be thriving on the field. But the harsh reality is he was far from that last year.
It’s possible Revis could turn in a stellar 2017 with a solid offseason and perhaps a change of positions. But where to? Free safety doesn’t seem like a great fit and neither does leaving him out to dry at corner. Could a change of scheme do the trick?
The Jets oftentimes utilized heavy off man-zone concepts to whatever side Revis was covering last year. This basically gave away free slant or drag routes inside. With little help underneath, Revis was torched route after route. Rarely ever did Revis line up on the inside of the receiver last year. What the Jets could experiment with is placing Revis inside the receiver, in an attempt to take away everything inside. To secure everything deep and to the sideline, the Jets could rover a safety to his side, something they didn’t do a whole lot of last year.
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3. What to do at left tackle
With the recent news of the restructuring of left tackle, Ryan Clady’s contract, the Jets have bought themselves some time as they begin to plan for the future at left tackle. Clady, who missed all of 2015 and seven games last year, is the most experienced Jet at the position. When on the field, his veteran savy leadership and play boosts the Jets offensive line and the team in general.
But his club option salary for 2017, which consists of $10 million, is a steep price to pay a veteran who’s missed 24 games in the last two seasons. Moving on from Clady would leave another hole for the Jets to fill in the offseason. Ben Ijalana, who filled in at left tackle after Clady went down, will be an unrestricted free agent come the beginning of the new league year.
If the Jets bring Clady back, they can wait a year before having to replace him. The Jets are expected to use early draft selections on secondary help. Letting him walk means they’ll have to draft a tackle in the early rounds of the draft or pursue one in free agency.
The Jets have their hands tied a bit in regards to what to do with Clady, but they may just have to pay him and cross their fingers. They have too many holes on their roster to let him walk and although he’s not the long-term solution, it’s just a one-year contract, so it’s not the end of the world if he were to fall yet again to injury. It’s a gamble, but it’s one they Jets might just have to make.
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