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New York Jets: Reaction to ESPN’s Strength and Weakness

By Nick Ziegler

Aug 27, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson (91) New York Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson (96) and New York Giants running back Shane Vereen (34) half at MetLife Stadium. New York Giants defeat the New York Jets 21-20. Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 27, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson (91) New York Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson (96) and New York Giants running back Shane Vereen (34) half at MetLife Stadium. New York Giants defeat the New York Jets 21-20. Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Jets will be starting their season very shortly. What are their biggest strength and weakness heading into the season according to ESPN?

The New York Jets are coming off of an impressive 10-6 season. After the disastrous 2014 season, it was surprising to see the Jets able to turn it around so quickly. General manager Mike Maccagnan has done a really nice job reshaping the Jets the past two offseasons.

With expectations of competing for a playoff spot, the Jets aren’t perfect. Like all teams in the NFL, the Jets have strengths in certain areas and weakness in others. According to ESPN, the Jets’ greatest strength shouldn’t come as a shock. The Jets’ defensive line will once again be the strongest area of their team like it was in 2016.

"Biggest strength: The defensive line has three blue-chip talents — Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson, and Leonard Williams. Each of the 300-pounders has double-digit sack potential."

It was very surprising to see that the Jets were able to sign Muhammad Wilkerson to a long-term deal this offseason. In his first preseason game of the season, Wilkerson looked very impressive against the Giants. In addition to Wilkerson, Leonard Williams has also had a very nice preseason.

Even with the loss of Damon Harrison to the Giants in free agency, the Jets’ defensive line will be great in 2016. Not having Sheldon Richardson for the first game will certainly have an impact on the team, but this is one of the best units in the NFL without a doubt.

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While the defensive line will be the Jets greatest strength, it will be the lack of a quick-strike offense that holds them back.

"Biggest weakness: Lack of quick-strike ability on offense. The Jets have talent at the skill positions, but there’s no true home run threat. Statistically, Ryan Fitzpatrick was one of the worst deep-ball passers in the league last season."

The lack of a deep ball from Fitzpatrick has been one of the biggest criticisms about him throughout his career. While the Jets do have the makings of one of the best wide receiver corps in the NFL, they don’t have the traditional burner down the field.

Devin Smith will be beginning the season on the PUP list, and he would provide them with that if he was healthy. While having a quick-strike offense is nice, the Jets’ offense should be able to move the ball fine with their talent at the skill positions.

One glaring weakness that wasn’t mentioned by ESPN is the tight end position. This preseason has shown that the Jets will once again not be able to expect much from the tight end position in 2016. Even though Jace Amaro is healthy, he has multiple drops this preseason, and it would be hard to expect him to have a huge role in the offense.

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Finally, the Jets should be looking forward to having a good season in 2016. While they aren’t perfect, they have a talented team that will be able to compete every week. A difficult schedule will be one of the major determining factors to see how good they really are.

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