The 2018 season began with so much promise at One Jets Drive. Rookie quarterback Sam Darnold was primed to come in and make an instant impact, while the rest of New York’s young nucleus was expected to put it together and turn the Jets into a contender sooner rather than later.
A trouncing of the Detroit Lions to open the season caused expectations to skyrocket. Instead of living up to the expectations that came along with the team’s immediate success, though, the Jets flew off the rails and descended to the bottom of the AFC East with a 5-11 record.
With a new head coach, an influx of talent added via free agency and New York’s youngsters returning with loads of potential, the Jets now have the makings of a team that could go from worst to first in 2019 with a little bit of luck.
Before Gang Green can think about the possibility of claiming the AFC East crown, here are four things that need to happen.
Sign a No. 2 cornerback
It’s almost July and the Jets still do not have a solid No. 2 cornerback on their roster. Darryl Roberts is a nice player, but should not be starting opposite Trumaine Johnson in Week 1.
Joe Douglas has been adding cornerback depth since taking over as general manager, but he has yet to bring in a player who can bring stability to the position. Even if Johnson rounds back into form in 2019, opposing teams will throw away from him and pick on Roberts or whoever wins the job in training camp.
With such an emphasis on the passing game in today’s NFL, having two solid cornerbacks in the lineup is crucial. New York simply cannot entertain the thought of climbing to the top of the AFC East without two reliable starters on the outside.
Le’Veon Bell shakes off the rust
Sam Darnold looks like the real deal under center. The Jets have surrounded him with weapons to take his game to the next level in 2019, but New York’s prized free agent acquisition will have to get his act together in order for Adam Gase’s offense to thrive.
Gang Green’s offense will go as Le’Veon Bell goes this upcoming season. In mandatory OTAs, he was considerably rusty and had difficulty grasping some of the plays. That cannot be the case once the regular season rolls around.
Gase is prepared to make Bell the focal point of his offense. Now, all New York’s star 27-year-old tailback needs to do is get back to doing what made him a two-time All-Pro with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Sam Darnold continues to progress
One of the few positives to come from New York’s disappointing 2018 campaign was Sam Darnold’s development. As the season went on, Darnold looked improved with each passing week. By the end of the year, he looked like a player who has the makings of a future star.
Darnold still has plenty of work to do to reach that status, though. The Jets spent the offseason surrounding the USC product with weapons at running back and wide receiver. Now, it’s on Darnold to continue to improve as he did as a rookie and take his level of play to new heights in 2019.
Josh McCown is gone, but Darnold has Adam Gase and offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains to aid his development throughout training camp and the regular season. If he continues to grow as expected, the Jets could be back to winning ways sooner than many anticipate.
The players buy in
When the Jets hired Adam Gase in January, much was made of the relationships that went awry in his time with the Miami Dolphins. Gase’s smartest man in the room approach cost him his relationship with some of his star players and made it hard for the team to buy into what he was selling.
In New York, Gase has to get the locker room to buy in. Without that, the Jets will go nowhere. Gase needs to learn from the mistakes he made in Miami and avoid repeating them in New York. Likewise, Gase will need to keep his team in check. Under Todd Bowles, it often seemed like the inmates ran the asylum. History cannot afford to repeat itself this upcoming season.
It’s not going to be easy, but Gase needs to find a way to make his team buy into his philosophy and maintain a good working relationship with his players while instilling discipline in the locker room at the same time. If that happens, New York will be positioned well to win its fair share of games in 2019.
