To say Adam Gase’s offense didn’t perform well in 2019 would be an insult to mediocrity.
The Jets didn’t just underperform this past season, they outright stunk. New York finished 31st in points and 32nd in yards, and the only reason they won seven games was thanks to Gregg Williams’ defense. Now, some of these failures can be attributed to Sam Darnold’s three-game absence and Mike Maccagnan’s decision to neglect the offensive line and overspend in free agency, but Gase still couldn’t put together a good offense and the Jets suffered mightily because of it.
Now that Maccagnan is gone, Darnold literally can’t get mono again and the Jets should have close to $80 million to play with his offseason, Gase and GM Joe Douglas could add some great players to the offense that fit in Gase’s scheme and give Darnold more weapons to work with for the 2020 season. The Jets leaned heavily on short passes in 2019 and will likely do so again with Jamison Crowder and Le’Veon Bell (for now) still on the team. Those two accounted for 200 of the 521 passing attempts in 2019 and should be in line for even more work if Darnold stays healthy.
There are some solid possible players in free agency for Gase and Douglas to target that fit that offense, though. Here are five of the top options for the Jets and Gase’s scheme.
WR Emmanuel Sanders
Sanders will be 33 in March but would still thrive in Gase’s offense. He’s one of the best tacticians anywhere he lines up on the field and rarely drops passes. When Gase coached Sanders on the Broncos in 2014, Sanders finished the season with 101 receptions on 141 targets for 1,404 yards and nine touchdowns, all career-highs.
Those days are long gone for Sanders, but he still proved to be one of the 25 most valuable wide receivers in 2019. He caught 66 balls for 869 yards and five touchdowns for two teams in and only dropped one pass. The Jets had the seventh-highest drop rate in the NFL and could use a player with hands like Sanders.
Despite his age, Sanders fits the bill as the quintessential Gase player because he thrives out wide and in the slot. He’d be a great veteran leader for the Jets offense and would likely come cheaper than a lot of the other riskier wide receivers on the market.
WR Randall Cobb
Cobb isn’t as productive, consistent or good a receiver as Sanders, but he’d play well in Gase’s offense for a lot of the same reasons. Cobb finished fourth in receiving yards from the slot in 2019 with 716 and averaged 14.3 yards per reception from that position.
While Cobb is older – he’ll be 30 in August – he has a better big-play ability than Jamison Crowder. Cobb led all slot receivers with 22 plays of 15-plus yards in 2019 and can penetrate zone defenses better than a lot of pass-catchers. Cobb isn’t as good as he once was with the Packers, but his style of play could be productive with Gase.
RB Corey Clement
The hero of Super Bowl LII could be a diamond in the rough for the Jets as a situational backup running back at only 25 years old. Clement only touched the ball four times in 2019 – all on special teams – after falling behind the likes of Miles Sanders, Jordan Howard, Darren Sproles and Boston Scott in Philadelphia, but he is young enough to still bring production to the field.
Douglas brought Clement to the Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2017. There, he scored six touchdowns on only 84 total touches. Clement would be a great compliment to Le’Veon Bell in the backfield and could fill the void left by Bilal Powell and Ty Montgomery should the Jets let either walk in free agency.
RB DeAndre Washington
Washington is another young dual-threat player who would be a great backup running back for the Jets. Washington only tallied 679 yards on 144 touches but spread it pretty evenly between rushes and receptions. He caught 36 passes for 292 yards in 2019, including 10 for first downs, rushed 108 times – 23 for first downs – for 387 yards and three touchdowns.
His role would ideally be as a situational pass-catcher for the Jets. Washington averaged 8.1 yards per reception this past season, which ranked 12th among running backs and ahead of players like Bell, Ezekiel Elliott and Nick Chubb. He’d be a dart throw for sure but a pretty low-risk one at only 27 years old.
WR Taylor Gabriel
Gabriel is an explosive receiver who can still run over the top of defenses and would be a nice addition to the Jets in the role likely vacated by Robby Anderson. The Jets will need speed and big-play ability if they let Anderson go, and Gabriel fits that bill perfectly for Gase. Eight of his 14 career touchdowns have come on plays of at least 30 yards and he remains one of the fastest players in the league.
The biggest knock against Gabriel is his size and concussion history. He’s listed at 5-foot-7,168 pounds and missed time in 2019 with concussions. He’s also prone to disappear in games and hasn’t proven to be a consistent receiver yet. Gabriel would be another situational pass-catcher but someone who could perform well in Gase’s offense.
