New York Jets: Reaction To ESPN’s Biggest Hole To Fill

Nov 8, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets outside linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin (55) reacts during the third quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 8, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets outside linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin (55) reacts during the third quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

New York Jets second year linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin is being counted on this season to continue building off his strong rookie campaign.

The New York Jets didn’t have many holes on their roster coming into the offseason. There are a couple of areas of concern because they were hit hard during the offseason in free agency, surprise retirements and unexpected snags in negotiations; we are looking at you Ryan Fitzpatrick.

But, if there was one position that had garnered the most attention needing some tinkering with, it was linebacker. The Jets were getting long in the tooth at linebacker in recent seasons, and needed a change.

The first changes came when Calvin Pace and Demario Davis were not retained. The 35-year old Pace has not yet been signed by a team, while Davis signed with the Cleveland Browns as an unrestricted free agent. As a result, the Jets attacked the position as much as they could since they are one of the most cash strapped organizations in the league.

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First, they re-signed Erin Henderson to a two-year deal. Henderson was given a chance last season after being out of the league because of off-field problems, and earned himself a starting spot. They also signed veteran Bruce Carter, and in the 2016 NFL Draft the Jets landed two linebackers; Darron Lee with their first round pick and Jordan Jenkins with their third round pick.

The player who will have the most eyes on him though will be second year linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin. Mauldin was selected in the third round by the Jets in the 2015 NFL Draft, and played sparingly in his rookie season as a sub package pass rusher.

His role is going to expand this season, and he was selected by Rich Cimini as the Jets player filling the biggest need in 2016. Over at ESPN, their NFL Nation reporters each picked which player was filling the biggest need for the teams they cover, and Mauldin was Cimini’s pick. Here is what Cimini had to say about the former Louisville product.

"The Jets are counting on second-year defender Lorenzo Mauldin to help with their biggest need — outside linebacker. He played only 244 defensive snaps as a rookie, mostly as a situational pass-rusher, but those snaps qualify him as their most experienced player at the position. The coaches love his upside, saying they expect him to graduate to an every-down role."

The Jets were slightly above average getting after the passer last season, tying for 12th in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans with 39 sacks. But, a majority of that production came from Muhammad Wilkerson, who had 12 by himself.

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Mauldin was fourth on the team with four, so there is a lot of optimism for him this season. Getting four sacks in only 244 snaps is impressive, as he could be a real threat for the Jets in an expanded role.