Gregg Williams proved in 2019 that he can make something out of nothing. He turned around a defense devoid of top-tier talent and turned the Jets into a top-seven unit.
Joe Douglas didn’t make too many changes on defense and instead re-signed some of the Jets’ best players from last season to team-friendly deals. He traded Jamal Adams, though, and lost C.J. Mosley after the linebacker opted out of the season, but for the most part, the defense will be very similar. This means a lot of players from last year’s squad will need to step up in 2020 to earn their keep on the team – from the defensive line to the linebackers to the secondary.
With that in mind, here are four candidates for a snap increase in 2020.
DE Quinnen Williams
Williams is poised for a breakout season after a disappointing rookie year in which he played in less than 50 percent of the Jets’ defensive snaps. He missed some time with an ankle injury, but still only finished with 28 combined tackles, 2.5 sacks and six quarterback hits after the Jets took him No. 3 overall in the 2019 draft. Williams took his poor season to heart, though, changed his diet and slimmed down to 297 pounds – six pounds lighter than last year.
There is a lot of room for improvement with Williams, but he proved he can play at a high level at times in 2019. He played in over 60 percent of the Jets’ snaps in eight of the 13 games he played in last year and that number should certainly increase as he continues to learn Gregg Williams’ defense.
CB Brian Poole
Poole was clearly the Jets’ best cornerback and one of the best in the NFL in 2019 but only played in 68.08 percent of the Jets’ snaps. Some of that may have been individual game plans or while he learned his role in Gregg Williams’ defense. Regardless, Poole’s snap share was still the fourth-most among Jets defenders.
The Jets will need Poole to take on a bigger role as both a leader and player this season in a secondary filled with young, inexperienced players. Pierre Desir should be the team’s No. 1 starting outside cornerback, but the rest is up for debate. After a successful first season in New York, Williams should employ his best cornerback more often this season.
OLB Tarell Basham
All indications point to Basham taking over as the second starting outside linebacker alongside Jordan Jenkins, which should significantly increase his snap share in 2019. He only played in 53.71 percent of the Jets’ snaps in 2019, but he’s the teams’ second-best pass-rusher after Jenkins. Basham can also play on the defensive line, which gives him a versatility boost for Williams to work with.
Basham’s snap share game-by-game was all over the place in 2019, but that was likely because of injuries and Williams’ ever-changing gameplans. Now that his role is more established, Basham should see consistent playing time – and at a higher rate than he did in 2019.
DE Nathan Shepherd
Shepherd only played in 20.98 percent of the Jets’ defensive snaps in 2019, but he saw a slight uptick in the final quarter of the season. Shepherd played in more than 50 percent of the team’s snaps in Weeks 13, 15, and 17 and finished with career-highs in sacks, tackles for a loss and quarterback hits during his sophomore season.
Shepherd still needs to prove he was worth the Jets’ third-round pick in 2018 and this season should offer that chance when he gets another year in Williams’ defense. There are a lot of linemen to compete with, but Shepherd still has potential and proved at times to be worth the snaps he received.
