New York Jets: Evaluating the remaining free agent edge rushers

Ezekiel  Ansah

Ezekiel Ansah is yet another player the Jets have been associated with in the past. He’s a big name pass rusher. He has put some numbers up in the past so the Jets are in the mix. But are they in the mix at the right point in his career?

Ansah was the fifth pick overall by the Lions in the 2013 NFL draft. Over his first three seasons, Ansah averaged ten sacks per year, culminating in a career best 14.5 sacks in 2015. 2015 became “Ziggy’s” one and only Pro Bowl appearance to date.

Over the next three years, however, Ansah has only averaged six sacks per year, which again amounts to the performance of a player like Copeland. It’s decent, but it is nothing to write home about. It is nothing that is more than a complimentary piece, not one that is going to put a defense over the top all by itself.

The last three years included 12 sacks in 2017, which means the other two seasons yielded a total of six sacks. In 2018, Ansah missed much of the year with an injury. Nobody knows what he is going to look like coming back in 2019. He’s on the doorstep of 30 years old. He may never be the same again.

Again we have a talented player that is by no means a lock to be a difference maker anymore.