The New York Jets are expecting that the 2024 season will be one that sees them get out of the doldrums they have dogged them since the conclusion of the 2010 season. The Jets made it to the AFC Championship Game that season, but they have not even competed in a playoff game since then.
They were hoping that the acquisition of Aaron Rodgers would allow that to happen in 2023, but Rodgers was hurt in the first quarter of his first game for the Jets, and the team was never able to recover. The Jets finished 7-10 for the second consecutive year and they escaped the cellar of the AFC East, but head coach Robert Saleh was incapable of rallying his team after the Rodgers injury.
In fact, his hang-dog expression throughout their Week 1 game against the Bills — it turned out to be a victory — was symbolic of the Jets' fortunes. The season was over after the Rodgers injury and everyone knew it.
Offensive issues become Jets priority in NFL Draft
There was talent on the team, and the Jets were able to stay close to the Kansas City Chiefs and beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the first six games of the season. However, the offense was brutal (31st in the NFL) and the team fell apart after their bye in Week 7 .
The Jets have attempted to address their offensive shortcomings in the most recent draft. They had two first-round selections and they used them to pick OT Olu Fashanu of Penn State and WR Malachi Corley of Western Kentucky.
Fashanu developed into one of the best offensive tackles in the country with the Nittany Lions and he won the Rimington-Pace offensive lineman of the year award in the Big Ten. He has prototype size at 6-6 and 312 pounds and has a desire to get better every time he steps on the field.
Corley has excellent strength at 5-11 and 215 pounds and excellent hands. He caught 79-894-11 last season for Western Kentucky, and he figures to be a serious playmaker for Rodgers
The Jets first five picks were all on the offensive side of the ball and that made sense. However, they addressed key areas of the defense when they signed six undrafted defensive rookie free agents. Defensive lineman Leonard Taylor III of Miami may have the best chance to make a contribution to the Jets this season.
Taylor has a chance to improve the defensive tackle rotation
There is little doubt that the Jets have one of the top defensive tackles in the league in Quinnen Williams. However, the other defensive tackle position is a bit muddled.
Players like Javon Kinlaw and Leki Fotu are just ordinary, and that will give a player like Taylor to make the team and potentially earn significant playing time.
Taylor was expected by many of the draft experts to be selected during the third day of the draft.
He has a high ceiling and was one of the best player at his position during the 2022 season with the Miami Hurricanes. However, he had a difficult time in 2023 and there were issues with his tackling.
However, he has all the tools to become a high-functioning player and it's just a matter of using all of them cohesively.
Getting a top effort out of an undrafted player is often about coaching. If the Jets' coaching staff can work with Taylor early in training camp and help him develop his technique and confidence, he will have a good chance to make a contribution.
Defense likely to be among the best in the NFL
While the Jets are hoping Rodgers can stay healthy and the offense improves this season, the Jets defense should be among the most dominant in the league. The Jets ranked third in yards allowed (292.3 yards per game) last season, just behind the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs.
They have several game-changing stars in Williams, linebacker C.J. Mosley and cornerback Sauce Gardner, and that trio has an opportunity to lift the team even further on that side of the ball.
However, putting solid depth players on the field is essential if the defense is going to continue to grow. Taylor and other rookie free agents like DL Eric Watts of Connecticut, Edge rusher Braiden McGregor of Michigan and LB Jackson Sirmon of California will all have a chance to impress the coaching staff and make contributions to New York's defense during the 2024 season.
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