The Jets are a month away from the NFL draft, yet still have plenty of holes to fill before the 2019 season. With the initial wave of free agency spending finally over, now is the time for the Jets to find some bargains left on the market to shore up thin positions across the roster.
Pickings are slim among the most important positions, but there are still a couple of players left on the open market who can contribute. Defensive end Ezekiel Ansah is the best player left on the market, but the Jets don’t need him after re-signing Henry Anderson this offseason. Where New York needs to look are older players looking to prove themselves once more or guys who would likely start as a backup, but could prove themselves to be starters later.
Here are the top available players the Jets should consider in free agency.
DT Ndamukong Suh
The Jets need physicality up front, and who better to strike fear in an opposing offensive line than Suh.
He’ll likely be the most expensive player left on the market, but he’d fill an immediate hole on the Jets defense (assuming they don’t draft Alabama’s Quinnen Williams with the No. 3 pick) and be a great player to plug into Gregg Williams’ defense. Suh isn’t as dominant a player he once was (he just turned 32), but he’d be a huge upgrade over Steve McLendon in the middle of the defensive line and would take a lot of pressure off the rest of the defense to get to the quarterback.
Adam Gase had Suh on his Dolphins team for a few years in Miami, but ultimately decided to release him before the team absorbed his massive $26.1 million cap hit in 2018. Gase said in the past he appreciated Suh’s work ethic, so there doesn’t appear to be any bad blood between the two.
C Stefen Wisniewski
Center is still a position that’s up in the air after the Jets failed to sign any of the top players at the position in free agency. Wisniewski hasn’t played center since 2015, but his versatility on the offensive line makes him valuable if Jonotthan Harrison doesn’t pan out.
If Wisniewski isn’t the guy, the Jets still need a fallback plan at center. There aren’t too many good options left on the market, so Wisniewski makes sense because of his age (30) and experience (eight seasons). Wisniewski met with the Jets on March 18, so there’s a chance the team eventually offers him a deal.
TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins
Adam Gase has said in the past that he likes pass-catching tight ends, so grabbing another player in that mold makes sense for his offense.
Chris Herndon is entrenched as the starter, but adding Seferian-Jenkins would alleviate some of the pressure on Herndon, especially in the red zone. ASJ enjoyed a nice resurgence in his short stint in New York. A reunion makes sense for a Jets team looking for more offensive weapons.
FS Tre Boston
Marcus Maye is a very good young safety, but has been injury prone early in his career. If the Jets are planning to use Darryl Roberts as the team’s No. 2 cornerback, that means they’ll need a solid backup safety in case Maye goes down again.
Look no further than Tre Boston, who finished with a solid 74.1 PFF grade in 2018 with the Cardinals. Boston has actually enjoyed a solid three-year stretch despite playing for three different teams. Since 2016, Boston has 10 interceptions, 21 defended passes and over 200 tackles. Boston’s coverage skills are also fantastic, as he allowed only 0.39 yards per cover snap and one reception just once every 27.2 coverage snaps in 2018.
CB Brent Grimes
Personality wise, Grimes is the perfect Gregg Williams cornerback. He’s fiery, hard-hitting and incredibly aggressive. Grimes is far past his prime at 35 years old, but he still managed to allow the lowest passer rate of his career since 2013 (73.8).
The Jets still need a true No. 2 cornerback next to Trumaine Johnson. Grimes is another shutdown corner who has proved capable of defending the best receivers in the league. Against the likes of Julio Jones, Michael Thomas, Davante Adams, Jarvis Landry and Larry Fitzgerald, Grimes only allowed 11 receptions for 108 yards and no touchdowns on 19 targets, according to Pro Football Focus.
