The Jets have been looking for an edge rusher for 15 years. Is this the year they finally land one… or two?
Free agency starts Monday at noon when the negotiation window between teams and agents opens. Joe Douglas, general manager of Jets, is expected to focus on edge rusher as the team sees an opportunity with $ 69 million in salary cap and a free market for agents in a stronger than usual position.
It has been a position of need since the Jets exchanged John Abraham after the 2005 season. Since then, three other Jets GMs have failed to fill the gap enough, even with defensive coaches in charge such as Eric Mangini, Rex Ryan and Todd Bowles.
The Jets have another defensive head coach in Robert Saleh, who needs some help to succeed.
There have been slaps on the position of the Jets in the NFL draft, most notably Vernon Gholston, but they haven’t pursued many pass rushers in free duty over the years. This is because the best passers usually do not enter the open market.
That’s what makes this year different and offers Douglas a chance to strike. Shaquil Barrett (Buccaneers), Yannick Ngakoue (Ravens), Matt Judon (Ravens), Trey Hendrickson (Saints) and Carl Lawson (Bengals) are at the forefront of free agency and would all be franchisees in most years. Now that the salary ceiling is decreasing this year, more good players are entering the market. With so many good edge rushers available, Douglas should be able to find value without overpaying.
Former NFL safety and current ESPN analyst Matt Bowen pointed to Ngakoue as the best fit for the Jets. He turns 26 in two weeks and has never had less than eight sacks in his five-year career. He had a strange 2020 where he traded twice, yet managed eight bags. He could be a liability to the flight, but the Jets can live with that. Saleh was the linebackers coach with the Jaguars in 2016 when Jacksonville fielded Ngakoue from Maryland.
“Yannick Ngakoue would be one of my top priorities,” said Bowen. “I think he has a natural bend and jerks off the ball. I think it has disturbing qualities. You look at Robert Saleh’s defenses and how they plan their pass hunters. They do so much with their front four, more than people think. It’s not just, “Hey, let’s rush the quarterback and play zone.” They do so much with multiple fronts. “
The Jets are expected to add two edge rushers for Saleh. That could come in free agency or they could sign an edge rusher and draft one. This year’s design doesn’t feature elite pass rushers like Chase Young or the Bosa brothers. Prospects like Miami’s Gregory Rousseau, Michigan’s Kwity Paye, Georgia’s Azeez Ojulari and Penn State’s Jayson Oweh could all be potential targets with the Jets’ runner-up in the first round (No. 23 overall), but they all come with questions.
The new coaching staff is excited about what the Jets have on the inner line of defense with Quinnen Williams, John Franklin-Myers and Folorunso Fatukasi. The feeling is that if they can get a strong rush off the edge, it will prevent Williams from getting a double squad and free him to rush the passer-by more.
The last major pass the Jets signed into Free Agency was Calvin Pace in 2008, when he signed a $ 42 million six-year contract. Pace had 46 sacks in eight years with the team, but was never dominant. He only had double digit pockets once.
For the past decade, the Jets have had to get their pass rush from innermost linemen like Muhammad Wilkerson and Leonard Williams or from glitzy linebacker Demario Davis or glitzy security Jamal Adams.
Douglas has the chance to give Saleh something that his predecessors didn’t have – a big lead. That can happen as early as Monday.