Dec 4, 2022; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants safety Julian Love (20) celebrates a defensive stop during the first half against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Jets will have Aaron Rodgers, eventually. They will inevitably get the quarterback they wanted all along. But, still, the Jets, clearly in pursuit of a Super Bowl right now, have some needs elsewhere at other positions across the roster.
To this point in the offseason, the Jets have been busy when it comes to re-signing their own free agents. They agreed to a three-year deal with Quincy Williams and one-year contracts with Greg Zuerlein and Solomon Thomas. In terms of players the Jets have added, they added two players, both at top positions of need. The Jets acquired safety Chuck Clark through a trade. Also, they signed Allen Lazard to address their need for a wide receiver.
Even with those re-signed and added players, the Jets still have a few positions to upgrade if they want to win the Super Bowl this year. Luckily, at the weakest positions on their roster, there are still some good free agents out on the market for the Jets to pursue and potentially sign. Below, we will go over the best remaining free agents at the Jets’ top three positions of need.
Offensive Line:
In general, to any specific position along the offensive line, the Jets could use one starting addition with some depth to provide insurance to boot. For now, we will focus on a few of the best available starting offensive linemen the Jets could look into to come in and start. Here are a few of the best options on the market.
With the unique positional flexibility that Alijah Vera-Tucker offers the Jets, they can pursue either a guard or tackle, whichever they choose.
Arguably the best free-agent offensive lineman left remaining on the market is Isaac Seumalo. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles when Joe Douglas was their vice president of player personnel. If the Jets were to sign Seumalo, he would play at right guard and Vera-Tucker at right tackle.
Most of the top centers are off the market, and the Jets center for the last three years, Connor McGovern, is probably the best one left out there. The Jets should not be ruling out a return for someone as durable as McGovern. Plus, the highest AAV of a center on a multi-year deal so far is just $6 million (Bradley Bozeman), meaning McGovern’s market cannot be too rich for the Jets.
The other top center left remaining is Ben Jones. He will be turning 34 this summer, though, and is coming off an injury.
Lastly, in terms of offensive tackles, Isaiah Wynn is probably the best one left. The Jets need some depth and competition at the position, and at the very least, Wynn could be a serviceable swing tackle.
Defensive Tackle:
Along with their offensive line, the Jets could use some help on their defensive line, specifically to their interior. Aside from Quinnen Williams and Solomon Thomas, the Jets do not have very much they can count on. With the way Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich want to deploy constant rotations with the defensive front to keep everyone fresh, the Jets will need at least two more defensive tackles. One will have to be signed here imminently.
Some of the top free-agent defensive tackles still on the market are:
There are many solid options listed above, and good news for the Jets, there is even more depth at the position left on the market. Whether they prefer a two-way player who can defend the run and pass, primarily a pass-rush specialist, or a run-stuffer, the Jets can still get what they want alongside Quinnen Williams.
Safety:
Even with the savvy move made to part ways with few resources to acquire Chuck Clark in a trade, the Jets could still use a true free safety. It is the final piece that this already elite secondary needs. Fortunately, for the Jets, there are still some enticing players at the position available.
A little over a month ago, I did an in-depth film breakdown on C.J. Gardner-Johnson. The Jets somehow signing him at this point in time would be thrilling, to say the least.
Julian Love is a very young player at still only 24 years old. He would help the Jets with his reliability as a tackler and with his coverage ability.
I discussed Rapp as an underrated free agent for the Jets to look into a few days ago. He is a physical player who can play in coverage and recently turned 25.
In the end, there are still more than enough options out there at positions that need to be addressed for the Jets to choose from.
Adding a defensive tackle who can start alongside Williams is a must. An upgrade at free safety to complete the secondary would be awfully exciting. And as always, no team can ever have enough offensive linemen. Especially for a Jets team that will now have Aaron Rodgers.
It will be fascinating to see what Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh have planned for free agency from here.
This post was published on 2023-03-16 13:40
