The New York Jets have added a player linked to them since free agency. Former Saints linebacker Kwon Alexander has put pen to paper, and is now a Jet per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Why did the Jets sign Kwon Alexander? A quick look back at his career and the Jets’ current roster tells the story.
https://twitter.com/adamschefter/status/1552755819904638977?s=21&t=M7tRPbJ8CQsyZDWWNRHiGw
Alexander’s Backstory
Alexander was originally drafted by the Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 2015 draft. He was an impact rookie, and led the league in tackles in his very next season. Unfortunately for Alexander, injuries have been a consistent issue throughout his career. His career year in 2016 was the last and only time he played in all 16 games in a season. In fact, that was the only time he has surpassed 12 games in a year.
After playing out his rookie contract with Tampa, Alexander singed a four year $54 million contract with the 49ers in free agency. This was one of the largest linebacker contracts of the 2019 offseason, coming in only behind Bobby Wagner, CJ Mosley, and Deion Jones. Alexander was a quality player for the 49ers Super Bowl run, but again injuries limited him to eight games that season. With the emergence of young backers like Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, it became clear that Alexander’s roster spot was not secure. As an often injured yet expensive veteran, the 49ers were incentivized to find him a new home.
In November of 2020, San Francisco traded Alexander to the Saints. Less than two years after signing his massive contract, and Alexander was already in a new city. The 2020 Saints pushed hard for one last championship run with Drew Brees at the helm, but ultimately fell short. Alexander was released following the season to save money, but was quickly re-signed to a lesser deal.
Implications for the Jets
Many who follow the Jets speculated whether Alexander might be a good fit for their questionable linebacker corps. As a matter of fact, I predicted it myself when projecting the Jets’ 53 man roster. The Jets are very happy with their current starting duo of CJ Mosley and Quincy Williams, but the depth is unproven at best. Behind the two starters, the roster features two second year players in Jamien Sherwood and Hamsah Nasirildeen. Both players played safety in college, and both finished the 2021 season in injured reserve. The addition of Alexander helps shore up the inexperience, not to mention depth.
Alexander will likely step in and play the sam linebacker position, when the Jets play with three backers. Although they will be in some variation of nickel more often than not, the third linebacker is still an important position. He also ensures that there is at least some level of experience if the Jets were to unfortunately lose a player like Mosley for any stretch of time. Jets head coach Robert Saleh was also the defensive coordinator of the 49ers for Alexander’s stint, meaning he has schematic experience. Will Alexander’s arrival push the Jets over the top as a potential playoff team? No, but it could ensure the floor doesn’t drop out from under them when the inevitable injuries start to occur.
