As somebody who loves chaos, the New York Jets fascinate me.
Earlier than the 2023 season, pleasure was via the roof. Aaron Rogers came to visit from the Inexperienced Bay Packers, changing into the second in a not very lengthy, however humorous when you consider it, pattern of former Packers QBs sporting a Jets helmet. Coaching camp clips of Rogers threading passes to WR Garrett Wilson flooded the timeline, and so they have been a classy decide to win the Tremendous Bowl.
4 performs into the opening sport, that dream was dashed. Rogers tore his Achilles earlier than he might even throw a go, and from there the Jets’ season went straight down the bathroom. Rogers had extra viral soundbites than the Jets had factors per sport. Head coach Robert Saleh’s job safety was known as into query in direction of the top of the season, regardless of the Jets nonetheless being superb on protection.
Now, we enter 2024 for the Jets with a lot greater expectations, with extra scrutiny. Nevertheless, the most important factor stopping the Jets from reaching their expectations, are the Jets themselves. They’re a group constructed on the query, “what if”. However…what if it really works?
Let’s begin with the offense, the place all the query marks nonetheless stay. Rogers is again because the QB, sure, however at 41 and coming off a serious decrease physique harm, what’s the expectation for Rogers’ degree of play? What caliber of QB does he must be to ensure that the Jets to not solely win the division, however push the Chiefs on the prime of the AFC? Not solely is Rogers getting back from a Achilles tear, however the final time he performed a full season, he wasn’t the Aaron Rogers all of us imagine he can play as much as. He completed 2022 twenty first in Adjusted EPA per play and in Success Price, whereas the Packers missed the playoffs. Now, you may attribute that to a poor offensive line or a transparent disinterest from Rogers in being the Packers’ QB, however the sign caller clearly was not the identical participant as he as soon as was. If he’s growing older into being a extra restricted QB, do the Jets have the infrastructure to maintain him at his finest? Nicely, sure however it additionally requires a sequence of hypotheticals.
Hypothetically, new free agent signings Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses give the Jets 17 video games of excessive degree play at each deal with spots. Smith continues to be able to being a wonderful left deal with; offensive line guru and author Brandon Thorn nonetheless places Smith within the superb tier of his offensive line rankings, and 2023 might be thought of his finest single season in years. Nevertheless, Smith hasn’t performed greater than 15 video games in virtually a decade (since 2015 to be precise) and is 33 years previous. Can he proceed his excessive degree of play? Completely, however the query is that if it’ll be sustainable sufficient over one season to get the Jets to the promised land. Morgan Moses was strong for Baltimore at proper deal with, however he solely performed in 14 video games final 12 months. If both of these guys get damage, first spherical decide Olu Fashanu steps in, however that brings up one other pack of questions. Fashanu solely performed left deal with at Penn State. If Moses will get damage can Fashanu transfer to proper deal with on the NFL degree? That’s what the Jets are hoping for. The remainder of the Jets’ line is strong: Alijah Vera-Tucker at guard might be superb this 12 months, and Joe Tipmann enters his second 12 months as the middle. John Simpson is a mauler at left guard who ought to increase the run sport. However the two deal with spots are the place I get a bit nervous, particularly if Smith misses in depth time.
Now we get out to the receiving core, the place there’s budding famous person wideout Garrett Wilson and … extra query marks! Mike Williams is a superb complement to what Wilson brings to the desk and may nonetheless be a vertical ball winner, however in fact, the accidents come into play. Williams performed in solely three video games final 12 months and hasn’t performed 80% of his groups’ offensive snaps since 2019. After that, there’s quite a lot of simply meh across the room. Rookie wideout Malachi Corley is enjoyable, however he’s finest getting used as a designer play man who didn’t actually run quite a lot of actual routes in his faculty profession. Allen Lazard is an efficient blocker, however I’m unsure how a lot he’s including to the passing sport. Behind them…good luck. The depth in that room isn’t nice, and if Williams can’t keep wholesome this factor will get actually ugly, actually fast.
We haven’t even gotten to the most important hypothetical but: the concept Nathaniel Hackett is a very good offensive coordinator. Final 12 months was a mulligan for the Jets offense for lots of causes, particularly Rogers’ harm. However Hackett nonetheless couldn’t create any sustainable offense and hasn’t put collectively a lot of a passing sport. He’s an awesome pal to Aaron Rogers and never a lot else.
Nevertheless, this loopy group of hypotheticals may simply work. The protection will give them a a lot wider margin for error to determine it out on the offensive facet of the ball. The group returns all of their stars and will end on the prime of the league. Defensive deal with Quinnen Williams is a classy DPOY decide, and his game-wrecking capacity is the centerpiece of this protection. Nook Sauce Gardner has one other degree his sport can go to, and with the defensive braintrust nonetheless intact, they’ll get even higher.
Offensively, what if Rogers is simply respectable? He doesn’t must be the MVP he as soon as was, particularly if the protection is nearly as good as it may be. If Rogers might be the best level guard within the NFL, getting the ball out extraordinarily fast and hitting sufficient of the powerful throws to maintain defenses sincere, it’s a great system for achievement. RB Breece Corridor must be a serious participant on this offense, with a dedication to the bottom sport accentuating round Corridor’s strengths. On prime of that, the Jets have the fourth best schedule in the whole league, per Sharp Soccer Analytics. They’ve sufficient time to essentially get issues going and get Rogers again into the swing of enjoying soccer.
With the expectations for the Jets sky excessive, they’ll be dealing with quite a lot of scrutiny from all over the place, together with main New York media. Nevertheless, this group of query marks could finish the season with an exclamation level.
