Gregg Williams conjured a miracle in 2019.
He took a defense devoid of top-tier talent – save for Jamal Adams – and turned them into of the better units in the league. Williams’ defense finished seventh in yards allowed, 16th in points allowed and second in rushing yards allowed. Without the help of the defense, the Jets aren’t a seven-win team in 2019.
The defense isn’t perfect, though, and Williams needs Joe Douglas to find solid contributors in free agency to improve it. Two positions of great need include outside linebacker and cornerback. Not only were those some of the weaker units this past season, but the top players for the Jets at those positions are also set to hit the open market unless re-signed. If Douglas doesn’t keep players like cornerback Brian Poole or linebackers Jordan Jenkins and Brandon Copeland, free agency will be the first place for him to look.
Williams will need a competent pass rusher as well. He didn’t really have that in 2019 – though Jenkins finished with a career- and team-high eight sacks – and instead used Adams as his primary pass rusher. The Jets blitzed on 39.2 percent of dropbacks and knocked down opposing quarterbacks on 8.9 percent of dropbacks, but finished with only 35 sacks. The Jets need to find players who can turn those blitzes into sacks.
Here are the top five free agents who fit Gregg Williams’ defense.
EDGE Yannick Ngakoue
The Jets need a powerful pass rusher who can win at the line of scrimmage and get to the quarterback. Ngakoe has done that with ease since entering the league in 2016 with at least eight sacks in each of the past four seasons. He finished 2019 with only 27 pressures and eight sacks but would immediately inject a skillset the Jets haven’t seen in years.
Ngakoue’s regressed a bit since his torrid 2017 campaign – 12 sacks and six forced fumbles – but he still posted at least a 76.8 pass-rush grade in 2018 and 2019. He won’t be cheap but the Jets need to invest salary cap in the pass rush and Ngakoue is the best intersection of price and production Williams will need for his defense.
CB Byron Jones
There’s no way the Jets will be able to afford Jones given his price and all the other holes on the roster, but he’s still an incredible talent who would benefit from playing in Williams’ defense. The Jets truly lacked a shutdown corner in 2019 and Jones would fill that void once the team cuts Trumaine Johnson and Darryl Roberts. Though he didn’t intercept a pass in 2019, Jones finished in the 96.9 percentile yards allowed per cover snap – second among free-agent corners –with a 74.8 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus. He finished with the 11th-best coverage grade over the past two seasons.
A converted safety, Jones has proven to be a physical corner who can go toe-to-toe with the biggest receivers with his 6-foot, 205-pound frame. He’s only allowed 5.1 yards per target and finished in the top-10 in receptions allowed, yards allowed and catch rate allowed, according to Player Profiler. He’d be a perfect fit with Bless Austin and Brian Poole, should the Jets re-sign the latter.
EDGE Shaquil Barrett
Williams loves to blitz, and that was apparent in 2019. The problem with the Jets defense was that it didn’t turn those blitzes into sacks. You know who led the NFL in both blitzes and sacks? Shaquil Barrett, who finished with 174 blitzes and 19.5 sacks. He’d be a prime talent for Williams to employ in his defense and would be given a great platform to build on his breakout performance.
Barrett never tallied more than 5.5 sacks before 2019 but he’s finished with at least a 71.3 PFF pass-rush grade since he entered the league in 2014 and had an 82.0 grade in 2019. He bullied quarterbacks this past season and is exactly the type of edge rusher Williams needs on defense.
LB Joe Schobert
Schobert would be a great starting inside linebacker option for the Jets if Joe Douglas cuts Avery Williamson to save cap space while Blake Cashman continues to develop. Schobert put together two of his best seasons with Williams as his coach with the Cleveland Browns from 2017-18 with 144 solo tackles, 10 pass breakups and five forced fumbles.
The Jets need an inside linebacker who can play all over the field and Schobert has proven that over the past three seasons. He’s totaled eight sacks, 19 pass breakups, six interceptions and seven forced fumbles over that stretch and tallied more than 100 combined tackles ever year since 2017. Schobert isn’t a great run defender but he’s incredible in coverage and would be a great fit in his return to Williams’ defense.
CB Darqueze Dennard
Dennard would be a solid consolation prize if Brian Poole becomes too expensive this offseason. Secondary help is crucial for Williams’ blitz-happy defense and Dennard can provide that stability alongside the rest of the Jets cornerbacks in the slot.
Injuries have plagued Dennard during his career but the 28-year-old continues to perform at a high level. He only allowed 23 receptions for 207 yards and no touchdowns in 2019 with a burn rate of 0.0 percent. Dennard ranked second behind only Poole and Jones among free-agent cornerbacks in yards allowed per coverage snap percentile.
