With Carl Lawson done for the year, the New York Jets are looking for help from abroad to strengthen their pass rush.
After losing Carl Lawson to a season-ending torn Achilles, the Jets now are looking for ways to acquire a pass rusher to help fill the void, per sources. A trade before the season is being explored.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 22, 2021
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the New York Jets are looking for help from abroad to find pass rushing reinforcements after losing prized acquisition Carl Lawson for the entire 2021 season. Lawson, signed to a three-year, $45 million deal in March, was carted from the field after he ruptured his Achillies during a joint practice with the Green Bay Packers on Thursday.
The Jets do have a decent pass rush even with Lawson done for the year. They are set to welcome back 2020 breakouts Quinnen Williams, John Franklin-Myers, and Foley Fatukasi while former New Orleans Saint Sheldon Rankins also joins the front four. Bryce Huff has likewise earned positive reviews for his training camp efforts.
But the defense struggled without Lawson’s prescience in Saturday’s preseason game against the Packers, allowing a Green Bay offense consisting mostly of backups to score on two of four drives in the first half. The latter scoring drive saw Green Bay embark on a 19-play, 81-yard drive that ended with Kurt Benkert’s five-yard touchdown pass to Jace Sternberger. New York (2-0) also tallied only one sack (via safety J.T. Hassell in the fourth quarter) after earning five against the Giants last weekend. The Jets ranked 25th in pressure rate last season (21.7 percent) and 20th in opposing hurry rate (8.8 percent).
If the Jets were to seek out a late offseason trade, there is plenty of draft capital to work with. New York owns 13 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, including Seattle’s first-round choice obtained through the Jamal Adams deal. A notable name to keep an eye on could be 2017’s sack leader Chandler Jones of Arizona. Jones, formerly of the New England Patriots, reportedly requested a trade from the Cardinals earlier this summer, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
The Jets will conclude their preseason slate on Friday night against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium (7:30 p.m. ET, WCBS).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags