This is the Gridiron Review’s grading and breakdown series of every team’s offseason. This article is the offseason in review: New York Jets.

Players Retained:

Offense: Mike White, QB; Joe Flacco, QB; Tevin Coleman, RB; Nick Bawden, FB; Braxton Berrios, WR; Jeff Smith, WR; Dan Feeny, OG; Greg Senat, OT; Conor McDermott, OT

Defense: Tim Ward, DL; Javelin Guidry, CB; Elijah Riley, S

Specials: Casey Kreiter, LS

Key Losses:

Offense: Austin Walter, RB; Jamison Crowder, WR; Keelan Cole, WR; Rodney Adams, WR; Tyler Kroft, TE; Ryan Griffin, TE; Brandon Dillon, TE; Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, OG; Alex Lewis, OG; Greg Van Roten, OG; Isaiah Williams, OG; Morgan Moses, OT; Cameron Clark, OT
Defense: Foley Fatukasi, DL; Kyle Phillips, DL; Jarrad Davis, LB; Zane Lewis, CB; Marcus Maye, S;

Specials: Matt Ammendola, K

Key Free Agent Pick-ups:

Offense: DJ Montgomery, WR; C.J. Uzomah, TE; Tyler Conklin, TE; Laken Tomlinson, OG; Nate Herbig, OG

Defense: Solomon Thomas, DL; Vinny Curry, DL; Jake Martin, LB; DJ Reed, CB; Jordan Whitehead, S; Marcell Harris, S

Specials: Greg Zuerlein, K; Eddy Pineiro, K

Trades(If Applicable):

None

Draft Class:

• Round 1, Pick No. 4: Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
• Round 1, Pick No. 10: Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
• Round 1, Pick No. 26: Jermaine Johnson II, EDGE, Florida State
• Round 2, Pick No. 36: Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State
• Round 3, Pick No. 101: Jeremy Ruckert, TE, Ohio State
• Round 4, Pick No. 111: Max Mitchell, OT, Louisiana
• Round 4, Pick No. 117: Michael Clemons, EDGE, Texas A&M

Our Offseason Grade: Good additions, are they there yet?

Record Prediction(Division Rank): 9-8(3rd)

Summary:

Offensively, the Jets made some big upgrades. In the running back room, they re-signed Tevin Coleman and drafted Breece Hall in the 2nd round. People seem to think that Hall will take over this backfield, but I think it is going to be split a little more than people think. Carter was a solid back for the Jets last season and I don’t think it will go unnoticed. I think Hall and Carter will split the load in the backfield and create one of the better young running back tandems in the league. In the receiver room, they added Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson with the 10th overall pick. This receiving room is now Wilson, Moore, and Davis with Mims at the WR4, but rumor has it he has looked really good in OTAs and could fight for snaps come training camp. The tight end room is also going to look much different this upcoming season as they pretty much cleaned house in that room. In free agency they brought in CJ Uzomah from Cincinnati and Tyler Conklin from Minnesota. In the third round of the draft they took Ohio State’s Jeremy Ruckert. On the line, their notable losses are Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and Morgan Moses. They replaced Duvernay-Tardif with pro-bowler Laken Tomlinson and former Eagle Nate Herbig. Our biggest issue with the Jets offseason is that they did not address tackle like it was a need. Their only move at tackle was drafting Max Mitchell in the 4th round of the draft. We have read many reports that suggest the Jets are not happy with Mekhi Becton, and right now it seems like he will have to start just strictly on the fact that they have no one else. As it looks right now, George Fant is probably going to get the start opposite Becton. That is not a tackle duo to be excited about. They may be average, but for a promising second-year QB looking to take the next step that is not what you want. 

Defensively, your biggest loss on the line was Foley Fatukasi, but you replace him with Solomon Thomas who seemed like he had a bit of a breakout year with the Raiders last season. He now reunited with Robert Saleh who was a part of the Niners staff that drafted him. The hope is that Thomas will be able to be a big asset in sub package pass rushing. The Jets also traded back into the first round of the draft to take Florida State’s Jermaine Johnson at pick 26, and added Michael Clemons in the 4th round. The linebacker room has not changed much. They lost Jarrad Davis in free agency, and did not add any pieces, but still have CJ Mosley and Quincy Williams. If either one of those guys go down though, the Jets could be in huge trouble in the middle of the defense. Although we think the Jets made some nice moves in the secondary we still think they could use an upgrade in the back end. They lost safety Marcus Maye, but were able to replace him with Jordan Whitehead from Tampa Bay. They also added DJ Reed from Seattle and Sauce Gardner at pick 4 in the draft. We don’t think this secondary is the worst in the league, but we also think it will probably be the reason they lose some games this season. Much like linebacker, if anyone goes down the depth is not great and could be a major issue.

Overall, we have the Jets going 9-8, which would rank them right above the average. We really like the strides the Jets are making under Saleh and think they are in for a big step forward this year. This roster has the capability to be a winning football team, but beware because a couple injuries in the wrong positional rooms could create chaos for this team that could drag them down the rankings. Offensively, the Jets now have a 1A/1B running back situation, are 5 deep at receiver, and 3 deep at tight end. We like that it provides flexibility to change the game plan from week to week, but what is the identity of the offense going to be? Will Zach Wilson pick up where he left off and take another step forward? On defense, it is up to the defensive line to carry this team. They are at least 2 deep at every position on the line and there’s a lot of money invested. It is time for this unit to step up and carry the defense.