The New York Jets need a lot of things to go right for them to become relevant again in the NFL.
They have one winning season in the past 11 and haven’t reached the playoffs since 2010. They were 4-13 last season and won just two games in 2020.
Yet, for the first time in a long time, there is hope that better days are ahead.
A pair of fruitful drafts over the past two seasons infused the roster with young playmakers on both sides of the ball. General manager Joe Douglas has reconstructed the offensive and defensive lines, defensive backfield, and tight end position with savvy free-agent signings. And second-year coach Robert Saleh brings unwavering enthusiasm.
But the Jets face a very difficult schedule the first nine weeks this season, and the kids are going to have growing pains along the way before they completely mature. So, there needs to be some pleasant surprises along the way to help propel the Jets forward.
That said, let’s check out our X-Factor to emerge for the Jets in the 2022 NFL season.
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Jets X-Factor To Emerge In 2022 NFL Season
Carl Lawson
This selection may raise some eyebrows because much is expected of Lawson. If he has a strong season, is that really a surprise?
Yes and no.
Lawson was signed as a free agent in 2021 because of his massive potential as an edge rusher. He was having an absolute monster training camp when he ruptured his Achilles tendon last August. He missed the entire 2021 season and was working on the side with the performance staff during minicamp last week.
Carl Lawson says he expects to be back for training camp, but adds that the timetable is up to the organization. #Jets pic.twitter.com/tCp666ncXt
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) May 11, 2022
By all accounts, he is in tremendous shape and will be good to go when training camp starts. Tight end C.J. Uzomah called Lawson “an action figure” in terms of his ridiculous build.
But here’s the rub. The Jets need Lawson to be great. Not merely good. Great.
They need him to terrorize quarterbacks with his unique blend of power and speed. And not just scare them. Lawson needs to pile up sacks in a way the Jets have not seen since John Abraham played on their line from 2000-05.
Calvin Pace, a linebacker, was the most recent Jet to reach double digits in sacks. He had 10 in 2013. John Franklin-Myers and Quinnen Williams each had a team-high six last season.
Not exactly New York Sack Exchange numbers.
Lawson had 8.5 sacks as a rookie in 2017 with the Cincinnati Bengals. He tore his ACL the following season and then had 5.0 sacks in 2019 and 5.5 in 2020.
The Jets believed he was on the verge of a breakout when they signed him. But coming off a major injury (again), Lawson faces a string of challenges to become the star many project him to be.
If he stays healthy this season and approaches or surpasses a double-digit sack total, Lawson will be the X-Factor and catalyst to, what appears to be, an improved Jets defense.
His mere presence on the line should draw double teams away from Franklin-Myers, Williams and rookie Jermaine Johnson, among others. That would allow the other “monsters” – what Lawson calls his ‘mates on the D-line – to feast on opposing quarterbacks.
In these two ways, Lawson will need to be something he’s never been before; the No. 1 pass-rushing threat. He’s no longer a solid complementary player. He’s not being paid that way nor is that the expectation.
He cannot be good, or simply solid. He needs to reach that explosive potential. He needs to be great.
This is Carl Lawson’s time to take that major step forward. And if he stays healthy, it says here he will be that dominant edge rusher the Jets have lacked for nearly two decades.
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