With the 2019 regular season in the books, it’s time for the Jets to look ahead.
Joe Douglas has a lot of decisions to make in his first offseason as a general manager. New York has a whopping 32 players set to hit free agency. Some have no chance of returning to One Jets Drive. Others are certainly worth keeping around for 2020 and beyond.
So, which free agents should Douglas place an emphasis on keeping in the Big Apple? Let’s take a look.
Robby Anderson
This one is a no brainer. The Jets aren’t going to get any better on offense in 2020 if they don’t have weapons. Anderson isn’t quite a true No. 1 wideout, but he possesses a skill set that can help Sam Darnold take the next step next season.
Whether or not Anderson returns to New York depends on if Douglas is willing to meet his contractual demands. If Anderson wants around $13-15 million per year, as The Athletic’s Connor Hughes reported, the Jets might be better off allowing the Temple product to seek a new home. He’s worth keeping around at the right price, though.
Brian Poole
Another no-brainer. Poole was dynamic for the Jets in the nickel and was the team’s best cornerback in 2019.
New York got a steal landing Poole on the cheap last offseason. Douglas will likely have to pony up and make a legitimate offer if he wants to keep him. It would be wise to enter the impending bidding for Poole’s services until the price tag becomes too steep.
Neville Hewitt
If it weren’t for Hewitt, the Jets would’ve been in a serious bind at middle linebacker in 2019.
Hewitt missed some games due to injury, but was solid in the middle of New York’s defense nonetheless. He’s not the best coverage linebacker in the world, but he’s good enough in run support to warrant a return next season. At the very least, he’s an impactful special teams player to have in the mix.
Jordan Jenkins
The Jets have had issues finding impact pass rushers for over a decade. It wouldn’t make sense to let one who is seemingly coming into his own walk in free agency.
Jenkins isn’t the second coming of Khalil Mack or any other elite pass rusher, but he’s solid coming off the edge. The Georgia product registered career highs in sacks (8) and tackles for loss (9) in 2019. It’s worth re-signing him to see what he’s capable of achieving in the coming years.
Alex Lewis
The Jets offensive line was downright bad in 2019. Lewis didn’t exactly do much to help with frequent holding penalties, but that doesn’t mean he’s completely useless in the trenches.
The fact of the matter is Lewis was probably miscast as a starter last season. He’s a quality backup who can start a couple of games here and there before the holes in his game start to show, not a player who should be starting double-digit games.
New York needs an overhaul on its offensive line and that includes the backups. Lewis is good in a reserve role. Joe Douglas is well aware of this. That could result in a reunion this offseason.
Lachlan Edwards
Let’s circle back to the no-brainer category for a second, because there’s no good reason why Lachlan Edwards shouldn’t be punting for the Jets in 2020.
Edwards has been nothing but solid for New York in recent years. Adam Gase brought in Matt Darr to compete with him in training camp and Edwards blew him out of the water. The Jets can’t do much better than Edwards at punter considering the alternatives. Joe Douglas needs to get this one done.
James Burgess
Every season it seems like a player or two earns himself a roster spot for the following season with a stretch of standout play to end the season. Burgess is that player for the Jets.
Burgess stepped up and played phenomenally for New York in the second half. It’s clear he can succeed in Gregg Williams’ defense when given the chance to play. He’s worth keeping around heading into 2020.
Arthur Maulet
New York’s cornerback unit wasn’t exactly a model of consistency in 2019. Maulet was one of the few who managed to occasionally string together strong performances, though.
Maulet could serve as a solid depth piece for the Jets moving forward. He’s nothing special, but he’s solid in his role and does what is asked of him. It’s not like New York would be bringing him back with the intention of starting him all season, either. Chalk Maulet up as a depth signing that every team needs to make in the offseason.
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