After an offseason chock-full of intrigue, controversy, scandal and minimal actual football, the Jets finally head into their first formal offseason practices with a roster built almost entirely by Joe Douglas’ design.
Douglas did the best job he could in eliminating the mistakes of the prior regime. He even rid himself and the Jets of a season-long storyline trading disgruntled safety Jamal Adams to Seattle. Now all that’s left is for the team to finally play together – amid a global pandemic, no less.
With training camp here, there are a lot of answers still to be discovered about this year’s Jets team. Here are the biggest questions facing Gang Green.
Who will replace Jamal Adams in the secondary?
Let’s not mince words: Losing Adams leaves a huge hole in the Jets defense. Adams and Marcus Maye were a nice tandem at the safety positions in the deep secondary, and the loss of Adams means the Jets won’t have one of their best coverage defensive backs as well as one of their best pass rushers.
Fortunately, the Jets have a few options to replace Adams. None will compete with the two-time Pro Bowler, but they’ll provide an adequate substitute for Gregg Williams to work his magic.
The most obvious candidate is the player the Jets acquired in the Adams trade with the Seahawks: Bradley McDougald. He has ample experience – 75 starts since 2014 – and can play all over the field. He’ll likely be the starter in place of Adams, but don’t be surprised if third-round rookie Ashtyn Davis carves out a nice niche, too. Davis, like McDougald, is a versatile defensive back who loves to hit, and Williams could use the duo of McDougald and Davis in multiple schemes to mitigate the loss of Adams.
Will the NFL discipline Woody Johnson?
Jets owner Woody Johnson is in hot water after allegations surfaced that he made racist and sexist remarks and was investigated by the State Department for using his position as ambassador to the United Kingdom to promote President Donald Trump’s business overseas. Johnson has since denied this report and general manager Joe Douglas defended the Jets owner after Johnson’s brother, current Jets CEO and Chairman Christopher Johnson, told Douglas the reports were false.
But what will come of all this? It’s impossible to tell without more information, but we’ve seen what’s happened to other team owners when similar allegations came to light. The NBA banned former Clippers owner Donald Sterling after audio tapes revealing he made racist remarks, and the Sterling family sold the team soon after in 2014. The NFL didn’t do the same to former Panthers owner Jerry Richardson in 2017 following reports that he engaged in inappropriate workplace comments that included sexually suggestive and racist remarks, but Richardson still sold the team.
Will the season go off without a hitch?
This is the ultimate question not just for the Jets, but the entire NFL and sports world in 2020.
With the world thrown into chaos because of the coronavirus pandemic, many are wondering if the NFL season will happen at all. Rookie training camp was already delayed a few days because the Jets didn’t feel comfortable with the NFL’s plan to play amid a pandemic, but now rookies and veterans are scheduled to report this week to the team facilities after two negative COVID-19 tests.
The NFL and NFL Players Association agreed on testing protocols on July 20, which set in motion the means to even have a training camp. Every team had to submit an Infectious Disease Emergency Response (IDER) Plan; the Jets’ plan was recently approved by the NFLPA. The plan also allows every team a Reserve/COVID-19 list, as well as the option for players to opt-out of the season, particularly if they’re at a high-risk. Some players have already decided to skip the 2020 season, including Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower.
Meanwhile, Major League Baseball has had to cancel games due to an outbreak that resulted in half of the Miami Marlins’ 30-man roster testing positive for the virus.
Week 1 is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 10 – which gives the NFL just over six weeks to figure out how to make this season work without any problems. That’s a tall order for a league with hundreds of employees on every team and miles of land between games – and a tall order for a country that continues to see a rise in daily cases in certain states.
Who will the Jets cut before the season?
Getting back to football, there is still the potential for Douglas to cut some players to open up roster spots and save money. We highlighted 11 veterans fighting for their roster spots this training camp, with the most likely salary cap casualties being guard Brian Winters and inside linebacker Avery Williamson.
Douglas loves flexibility – both on his roster and with the salary cap. Considering how low the cap could be in upcoming seasons because of the coronavirus pandemic, he may want to keep as much space as possible this season so he can fill his roster with cheaper contracts.
The Jets are far from contenders, so keeping quality veterans on the roster would be good for the team’s short-term success, especially considering Douglas disagreed with the notion the Jets were “punting” on the 2020 season after trading away Adams. But there also is no need to keep players on the roster who aren’t high-impact players or even starters if there are better, cheaper options out there.
Will Douglas sign any free agents before the season?
There are still a lot of issues Douglas needs to resolve on the Jets roster: pass rusher, cornerback depth and wide receiver depth, to name a few. The offensive line could always use an extra veteran, too. Luckily for the Jets, there are still a lot of quality players in free agency Douglas could sign with the Jets’ estimated $21 million in salary cap space. That number could be even higher if he cuts players like Winters and Williamson.
Jadeveon Clowney is the biggest free agent left on the market, and several Jets players are actively trying to recruit him to New York. He could command a high price for his services, though, which might dissuade Douglas from pulling the trigger. Other players like defensive back Logan Ryan, offensive lineman Larry Warford and wide receiver Paul Richardson would all be good options as well, for the right price.
How will Sam Darnold progress in Year 3?
The future of the Jets lies squarely with Darnold after the Adams trade, and a lot will hinge on Darnold’s development in his third season in the league.
Darnold proved he has the ability to play at a high level in 2019 – but only in spurts. Yes, the offensive line was horrendous, the playcalling was bad and his offensive weapons weren’t plentiful, but Darnold still made a lot of mistakes. His turnovers, footwork and overall decision-making were problematic, but Darnold did also provide some highlight-worthy plays along the way.
Another year with Gase coupled with new skill position players and a new offensive line should help Darnold progress – and a solid year could set him up for a lucrative contract extension in the ballpark of the one Carson Wentz and Jared Goff earned after their third seasons. Darnold would give the Jets the identity they’ve lacked for some time and give them a great shot at winning the AFC East. The Jets would then know to build quickly around Darnold in free agency and with the bounty of draft picks they added from the Adams trade.
But, if Darnold falters, then the Jets have a problem. They’ll either have to wait another year to see what they have in their young quarterback or cut bait early and look for a new face of the franchise.
