This will be the 12th season since Ben Roethlisberger’s 14-yard completion on 3rd-and-6 ended the Jets hopes of a rare super bowl appearance. Although disappointing, the Jets second consecutive AFC championship failure was seen as one of many postseason battles to come. After all, they had a playoff proven quarterback, a generational player and a star head coach.
12 seasons and a few Geno Smiths, Calvin Priors, Darron Lees, Adam Gases and Sam Darolds later, the Jets are on the cusp of their most anticipated season since Ryan Fitzpatrick’s run-it-back year. The team so oft-deprived of talent find themselves in unfamiliar territory. They’re actually…talented? Skill positions have long been an area of depravity for the Jets. They haven’t had pro bowlers at the running back or receiver position since 2015’s near playoff team. And a defense that was very tooth-and-nail last season now looks to have some bite. Last year was a culture and tone setting year with few expectations. With the NFL’s high turnover rate, this year’s Jets are talented enough to make a playoff push. While they’ll need all 11 players in all three facets to perform, these 12 can particularly impact the team’s ceiling.
12. Breece Hall
The rookie second-rounder steps into an offense where the reigns are for the taking. As the Jets continue to search for playmakers, Hall will have ample opportunity to intergrate himself. Michael Carter is penciled in as the starter, but operates best on the edges, which means Hall’s inside run presence is not only welcomed but needed. A three-down back in college, his ability to move the chains is a huge plus for a Jets running attack that has lacked punch for years. If the Jets are to be contenders Hall must be the thunder to Carter’s lightning.
11. Corey Davis
After signing a big money deal last offseason, Corey Davis had an uneven 2021. From the get-go it was clear that Davis and quarterback Zach Wilson lacked chemistry. He struggled to adjust to Wilson’s improvisational style as they struggled with timing and Davis with drops. The former Tennessee Titan showed his big play potential sporadically last season and with his contract’s short-term length he won’t have much time to prove he can be more consistent. With the Jets drafting Garett Wilson, Elijah Moore’s emergence and Denzel Mims keen to get on the field, this feel’s like a make-or-break year for Davis in New York. His speed and ability to stretch the field play well into Wilson’s skill-set, but the 5-year pro must show more grit and consistency on the field, often looking out-of-wack after mistakes.
10. Sauce Gardner
The coup of this much-heralded Jets draft class, Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner is everything gang green has lacked for years. The 4th pick in the draft, Gardner is a blue chip, can’t-miss prospect that the Jets will look to fill the Revis sized hole in their franchise. A hole they’ve reached to fill before in the draft with Dee Milliner and in free agency with Trumaine Johnson. Gardner is different in that he is unanimously regarded as an instant impact player. While he’ll have to earn a starting spot ahead of the competent Bryce Hall, the Jets didn’t spend the 4th pick for him to play a periphery role. Gardner’s high football instincts and elite physical gifts will see him matched up against the top receivers throughout this year. They’ll need Sauce to not get lost in order to have a chance to contend this year.
9. D.J. Reed
If Sauce Gardner is a can’t-miss prospect, then D. J. Reed was his antithesis coming into the league. The former 2018 5th-round draft pick’s career began as a reserve player with the 49ers. After being released, Reed was claimed off waivers by the Seahawks in 2020 and didn’t look back. Although he didn’t fit the mold of the long, lanky cornerbacks that Seattle covets (Reed is listed at 5’9), his physicality and aggressive play, along with good coverage skills, solidified him as a starter. And despite the Seahawks poor pass defense rankings, Reed’s play stood out. He finished the 2021 season with the eighth-best PFF grade among cornerbacks at 78.6. After inking a 3-year $33 million deal, the Jets will need Reed to play like the high-end corner he has shown he can be in order to be successful.
8. Quinnen Willams
The NFL isn’t the NBA, free agency will only get you so far. Contending teams tend do well in the draft, especially at impact positions like defensive line. The 49ers let all-pro, Deforest Buckner go because they trusted in their track record of drafting pro bowl d-linemen. Quinnen Williams is in a precarious position entering his 4th year. The 3rd pick in the 2019 draft, Williams has been good, but not consistently great. The Jets have already exercised his 5th-year option, but the two sides have not agreed on an extension. The team has every reason to want to pay Williams but even he realizes he still has a lot to prove before being deserving of a big money deal. As the defensive line loads up with the return of Carl Lawson and Vinny Curry, Williams will have the chance to show the he can consistently be the disruptive force that his talent demands.
7. C.J. Mosley
C.J. Mosley is another big name with an uncertain future. After signing a 5-year $85 million contract in 2019, Mosley played in only 2 games in his first two years with the team. His counting stats from last year read well, 168 tackle and 2 forced fumbles, but the eye test says there’s room for improvement. The Jets gave up the 5th-most rushing yards and the most rushing touchdowns in the NFL last season. A lot of that can be attributed to a toothless offense that ranked 30th in time of possession. That much time on the field wore on Mosley. Now, in his 4th year with the team, he is a prime cut candidate if things don’t go as planned, yet the Jets need him to perform, with an already thin linebacker corps.
6. Michael Carter
The Jets paltry offensive line and poor quarterback play mitigated what should have been a breakout rookie season for Carter. The diminutive dynamo often seemed like the only spark plug in an otherwise dull offense. Bad offensive line play far too often killed drives en route to the league’s 6th worse rushing attack. GM Joe Douglas made a point to shore up the line in the offseason, which brings increased expectations for Carter. The elusive back feels like a cross between Darren Sproles and Maurice Jones-Drew, small but not lacking in physicality. Carter returns as one of the few players to have built a decent rapport with Wilson and should be a focal point of the offense despite Bryce Hall’s arrival.
5. Carl Lawson
The Jets descent into another bottom-dwelling season began on August 19, 2021, the day Carl Lawson ruptured his achilles. The former Auburn Tiger was in the midst of a dominant camp before his season ending injury, as he looked prime to breakout. The last time he played football in 2020, Lawson had the 8th highest pass-rush grade among all edge rushers. The Jets will hope he brings that kind of production to a defense on the cusp. Between Lawson, Williams and John Franklin-Myers, the Jets d-line could propel the team to new heights.
4. Laken Tomlinson
While other teams spent big on receivers during the offseason, the Jets made their intentions clear with the free agent acquisition of Laken Tomlinson. A big part of the 49ers success on the ground, the pro bowl left guard also only allowed 5 sacks in 2021, while playing all 1091 offensive snaps. The 7-year pro finished 2021 with a PFF grade of 75.9 and even though he rates as a better run blocker than pass protector, an improved ground game will only take pressure off of Zach Wilson. A great zone blocker, Tomlinson will be key in free up spaces on the outside for Carter and Hall.
3. Duane Brown
Signed after Mekhi Becton landed on IR with a broken kneecap, Duane Brown will play a major role in the Jets offensive success in 2022. The former all-pro has constantly rated as an excellent left tackle, but showed signs of slippage last season. Nonetheless, his consistent play earned him a 2-year $22 million deal. Now, the 37-year-old is tasked with protecting Zach Wilson’s blind side. If he plays well, Wilson could reach new heights as a passer, if he falters, there will be 13 players on this list next year.
2. Elijah Moore
Jets coaches and players have ben raving about Elijah Moore since his rookie training camp. Yet Moore hasn’t had the chance to show-off his skillset due to the lack of offensive infrastructure. As the Jets began to find their way on offense last season, so did Moore. In week 11, he exploded for 8 catches and 141 yards and a TD against a good Dolphins secondary. In 2021 Jets fashion, Moore was placed on IR by week 13. Although he had most of his success with Flacco and Mike White at the helm, Moore is exactly the type of weapon that transforms a young quarterback. Someone who can take a 10-yard gain and make it 40. The Jets haven’t had an offensive weapon like Moore in a long time, as he is dangerous as a slot or outside receiver. Look for the Jets to implement him nonstop during the season.
1. Zach Wilson
With the nickname “baby-faced assassin” occupied, Zach Wilson will need to find a different way to market his boy-ish looks. Heck, the Jets hope potential nicknames is the only confusion surrounding their second-year signal caller. Truth-be-told, Wilson was down-right horrible at times last season. It wasn’t all his fault, as the number 2 pick in the draft came out of the gates swinging. Then he realized his offensive line wasn’t any good and his receivers weren’t used to his backyard style of football and he struggled to adjust. Wilson spent the rest of his rookie year as a dink-and-dunk game manager, having to shelve the skills that earned him comparisons to Patrick Mahomes. With a competent offensive unit surrounding him, the Jets expect Wilson to make a leap in his second year. If he fulfills his “baby Mahomes” potential, you can count on the Jets taking off.
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Great article