New England Patriots: Eye on the AFC East — New York Jets
By Hal Bent
DEFENSE:
The New York Jets have a few pieces in place on defense with a young core already starting to show some promise.
Strong safety Jamal Adams is one of the best defensive players in the entire league at his position. Adams does everything: coverage, run support, blitzing… he does it all and he does it well.
Marcus Maye was his running mate at free safety, and his loss to injury after six games (when the Jets were 3-3) is part of the reason the season fell apart. Maye is smart, speedy, and a ball-hawk in center field.
The rest of the secondary consists of pending free agents Morris Claiborne and Buster Skrine. Former Patriots seventh-round draft pick Darryl Roberts is a solid backup but probably shouldn’t start. Second-highest paid player on the team (and last year’s premier free agent signing) Trumaine Johnson quit on the team and was benched in Week 17, so he’s probably a goner as well.
On the defensive line, Leonard Williams is the unquestioned star and leader, though his game did take a step back in 2018. He struggled to get to the quarterback, and lost containment too often in the run game. Nose tackle Steve McLendon was washed up when the Steelers dumped him after the 2015 season, and might consider retirement this offseason. Henry Anderson revitalized his career, but he’s also a free agent who may test the market this offseason.
The Jets got a solid linebacker in free agency with Avery Williamson, who proved to be worth every penny after getting signed away from Tennessee. 2016 first-round draft pick Darron Lee again struggled this year, and ended the season suspended four games for substance abuse. Lee is running out of chances to prove his worth. The rest of the group at linebacker are just a bunch JAGs (Just-Another-Guy).