The biggest offseason move that the New York Jets could pull off is to make Aaron Rodgers healthy and look like he is back in prime condition. But, that does not mean that they cannot bring in new players through NFL Free Agency. A big concern for Robert Saleh's squad has been that their pocket was fairly easy to collapse leaving their signal caller vulnerable. Things look to be changing as they just dropped a bag on former Baltimore Ravens guard John Simpson.
The Jets are giving him a two-year deal worth $18 million, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. Despite only being able to play with the Ravens and defending Lamar Jackson for one season, John Simpson's skill set still remains elite.
The first attribute that Simpson boasts is his durability. Number 76 was able to play and start in all 17 of the games for the Ravens last season. This brought his snap percentage to 99% after being on the offensive line for 1,119 times. With the Las Vegas Raiders, he was also starting in the offensive line for 21 out of 35 possible games.
Simpson also knows his way around the special teams unit. He played 89 snaps for the Ravens which amounted to a career-high 19% of special teams involvement. Not only has he been a steady iron man for his previous team but his versatility was also on display. Maybe the Jets could use him there too.
Jets to focus on his improvement
At 26 years old, Simpson is not yet the perfect offensive lineman. Coach Robert Saleh might need to improve his timing and control his center of gravity when protecting Aaron Rodgers. The most glaring problem in his game has been the accrual of penalties over time.
In the past year, Simpson had 11 penalties as a starter. His aggressiveness led him to commit seven holding calls. Moreover, he also got two false starts. This is an issue that he has struggled with throughout his four-year career. So far, he has netted 25 total penalties while having two seasons where he committed 11 of them each.
There is a lot to change in his style of play but the Jets have found themselves a good protector.