New York Jets: The Jets should go after defensive end Frank Clark in free agency
By Kyle Morello
The New York Jets are entering an exciting offseason with a lot of cap room, cap room that should be spent on pass rusher Frank Clark. Coming off of 4-12 season, with a poor pass rush, Clark should be near the top of the list of gets.
If the New York Jets want to compete for a playoff spot in the AFC next year, they are going to need to improve their roster, an improvement that could start with signing Frank Clark.
However, they have the necessary means to actually improve the roster too. While having a high draft pick will help bring in an impact player right away, they also need established veterans to lead the way.
When it comes to potential free agent targets for the Jets, most fans and media outlets will point to Le’veon Bell and Dee Ford as players should get.
However, there is one upcoming free agent in particular who would be a great addition to the Jets that nobody is ready talking about.
That man is Seahawks defensive end Frank Clark.
The 25 year-old is one of the better pass rushers in the league, a position the Jets desperately need to upgrade.
Since he has averaged over 10 sacks over the last three seasons, this would be a huge improvement over this past season, which saw Jordan Jenkins and Henry Anderson tie for the team lead in sacks with seven.
He also would have been second among Jets defensive lineman in tackles had he played in New York this past season, one behind Leonard Williams.
Which brings me to my next point.
Due to the lack of pass rushing options on the teams defensive line, opposing teams tend to focus in on Leonard Williams.
What that means is that Williams gets double teamed more often that the normal player would.
This is why signing a pass rusher is vital to the their defensive success. Giving opposing teams somebody else to worry about other than Williams on the defensive front will in turn open him up more opportunities to succeed.
Great pass rushers are also pretty hard to come by, especially young ones. This is why Frank Clark is a perfect fit for the Jets.
Should General Manager Mike Maccagnan be completely satisfied if the Jets land Clark? Of course not. There are other holes on the team the Jets need to fill this offseason.
The rebuilding process can be long and grueling, as all Jets fans know. But signing Clark would be a huge step in the right direction.
The Jets have a ton of money to spend this offseason and they shouldn’t hesitate to do so.
It’s all about making the right investments, however, and signing Clark would absolutely qualify as that.