How the Jets Could Use Their New Salary Cap Space

It was on June 1st when the Jets officially got rid of former cornerback Trumaine Johnson. Johnson, who signed with the team during the 2018 offseason, was designated for June 1st release in March. As expected, cutting him immediately became top news in New York – it cleared $11 million in salary-cap space.

According to OverTheCap, the Jets now have nearly $25 million in cap space, fifth-most in the league. If they cut former starting guard/tackle Brian Winters in the upcoming days, they could move another two places with $31 million available. League-wide cap woes with decreasing revenues and the Jamal Adams extension situation could make Douglas less willing to splash money around. Nevertheless, the Jets have an opportunity to make a late move and help their chances in the AFC East skyrocket. Furthermore, there are more than one or two impactful players left on the market.

The Jets certainly need another set of additions. Despite a strong free-agency period and a solid draft, the roster still has glaring holes. First, the pass-rush still fails to guarantee improvement after a 23rd-place 2019 finish. Also, the wide-receiving core doesn’t have enough weapons for Sam Darnold and the secondary could use another dominant corner.

All of a sudden, the Jets are now buyers again. Here are a couple of possible free agents they could reach out to.

Help in the Pass-Rush

Possible additions: Jadeveon Clowney, Everson Griffen, Markus Golden, Ezekiel Ansah

The Jets definitely didn’t do a great job putting pressure on opposing passers. In 2019, the New York pass-rush was once again abysmal, ranking 23rd in the NFL with just 35 sacks. A great deal of the production came from safety Jamal Adams, as well as from sack leader Jordan Jenkins. Despite his return and the addition of third-round draft pick Jabari Zuniga, the Jets are still lacking a big game-changing name upfront. As of now, the group could surprise many people within the industry but nothing indicates the dramatic improvement which is needed.

Jadaveon Clowney, somehow in a fitting way, has not signed yet. If any team still needs a ground-breaking pass-rusher off the edges, there’s no better direction to go than the former No. 1 overall pick from South Carolina.

Some consider Clowney to have failed to live up to his name. He has never recorded more than 9.5 sacks in a single season (2017) and had just three last year. However, the three-time Pro Bowler is still only 27 years old – he’s just yet to put the league on notice with scary statistical figures.

The lack of history-making stats doesn’t lower his value, however. He was first said to demand a number near $20 million per year. Later, the offer went down to $18 million a year. Even without the salary cap-related uncertainty, this is beyond a steady number for a boom-or-bust player like Clowney.

Markus Golden, who recorded his second ten-plus-sack year with the Giants last year, is another candidate to sign with a new team. Other options include experienced names such as Everson Griffen and Ezekiel Ansah.

Adding to the Wide-Receiving Corps

Possible additions: Josh Gordon, Demaryius Thomas, Paul Richardson, Taylor Gabriel

The Jets are desperate for another bright spot in their receiving core. The corps remained one of the relatively unaddressed needs as opposed to the offensive line and the secondary. That’s despite all the maneuvres to get Denzel Mims in the second round of the draft.

The only reliable piece the team has through the air is Jamison Crowder, who proved to be a solid weapon in the intermediate passing game. The former Redskin led the team with 78 receptions and an average of 10.7 years per catch. In the meantime, he was very efficient with a whopping catch percentage of 63.9. His workload and effectiveness make his stats credible. Crowder is a very promising part of the Jets offense going into 2020 season, but what follows in the air raid isn’t as positive.

Denzel Mims proved to be a centerpiece for Baylor in the same role as Crowder. Mims had 66 catches and averaged 15.5 yards but the transition to the professional game could mean a steady regression to the mean. Breshad Perriman is an unproven receiver (career-high is 36 receptions) and is limited as a long-threat. His lack of efficiency (52.2 catch percent) has brought his ceiling down, especially when compared to the departing Robby Anderson.

Anderson signed with the Panthers for two years in April, leaving a noticeable hole in Sam Darnold’s weaponry. The only attention-worthy player still out there is Josh Gordon. Many seasons have passed since Gordon’s 1,600-yard season with Cleveland (87 receptions, 18.9 yards per catch, 54.7 catch percent). Even then, he could have been more efficient but still led the league in yards. Since 2013, he’s missed two years suspended and recorded 86 catches in the next three seasons. Gordon’s ceiling is still high as he’s only 29. Besides, he’s the only real high-profile stock that deserves serious attention. Despite his cheap price, there’s still uncertainty when he’ll be reinstated to play again. That should happen before September so he’s at least worth a shot.

Gabriel, Thomas, and Richardson are depth pieces that come at a cheap return either way. Therefore, not having enough cap space wasn’t previously an excuse for not inquiring and either one could be on the watch even if the Jets go in another direction.

Another Cornerback On the Way

Possible additions: Logan Ryan

Experts have rumored Logan Ryan to the New York Jets for nearly two months now. Getting Flacco certainly quieted the speculations but the opportunity is here again.

Ryan is coming off a career-best season with the Titans. The former Patriots corner allowed a passer rating of merely 88.7 when in coverage. With Brian Poole positioned as the top nickel, it will be a challenge to utilize Ryan as the dominant outside corner the Jets were looking for. However, he has proven he can shut down great receivers despite an increasing workload.

Ryan wanted around $10 million a year when the Jets inquired as one of the lone suitors. Not many teams feel like the ex-Titan’s value is that high but it’s worth a shot with his terrific 2019 season behind his back. What could kill the Jets’ interest in a deal could be an emerging competition from the Falcons, who released Desmond Trufant on the same day as the Jets did Johnson. Douglas and his staff might be reluctant to engage in a bidding war.

The Jets secondary could get a huge upgrade in Ryan. Unlike last year, they now have the depth they were missing but they could use a star-caliber addition. However, the pass-rush and the wide-receiving core seem like a bigger set of needs at the moment, especially from a statistical point of view.

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