New York Jets Rightfully Receive a Poor Grade in Free Agency
By Nick Ziegler
Mike Sando of ESPN.com recently released his grades in free agency for all 32 NFL teams. How did the New York Jets do?
The New York Jets came into the offseason with a lot of holes to fill after a poor 2016 season. Prior to the start of free agency, the Jets parted ways with a lot of veteran players in order to create salary cap space.
Even though some of these veterans disappointed in 2016, the Jets didn’t do much in free agency to replace them. One of the biggest decisions the Jets made was to release Darrelle Revis. However, the big addition the Jets made in free agency to replace him was the signing of Morris Claiborne from the Dallas Cowboys.
Prior to last season, Claiborne wasn’t a very good cornerback for Dallas. He appeared to have finally found his groove last season, but he then had his season end early because of an injury. The Jets didn’t invest much in Claiborne, but it’s going to be hard for them to count on him.
While the secondary was the biggest area of concern for the Jets on defense, the offensive line was arguably the biggest need on the offensive side of the ball. The signing of Kelvin Beachum is a similar one to Claiborne. There is potential for Beachum to be very good. However, he hasn’t played well after a strong start to his career in Pittsburgh.
Recently, Mike Sando of ESPN.com gave the Jets a grade of a D for the efforts in free agency. Here’s what Sando said about the Jets.
"The Jets approached free agency as though time was on their side, laying the foundation for a rebuild by clearing out declining veterans with high salaries. That could be the best approach from a long-range standpoint. The Jets did not get better in free agency, however. McCown is a solid backup whose style makes him prone to injury. It could be time to draft a quarterback."
It is hard to argue with the poor grade for the Jets. They were unable to land any type of impact player that might be a building block for the franchise. Signing Josh McCown to be a veteran backup quarterback is fine, as they weren’t going to be able to find a franchise quarterback in free agency.
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After free agency, it is clear that the Jets are entering a full rebuild. After a quiet free agency, expect to see the Jets as one of the worst teams in the NFL next season.