The Jets have had quite the busy offseason.
They completely revamped the offensive line, adding veterans George Fant and Connor McGovern, while drafting six-foot-seven, 364-pound tackle Mekhi Becton. They added Breshad Perriman and drafted Denzel Mims in the receiving corps, and even on Tuesday were still adding weapons to the offense, signing veteran workhorse Frank Gore to a one-year deal.
With plenty of new additions, and Tom Brady no longer in the AFC East, the Jets appear poised to be playoff contenders behind third-year quarterback Sam Darnold.
Darnold, who spoke with reporters on Tuesday via Zoom, was not ready to go that far, but the 22-year-old was confident in the new pieces around him.
"We definitely have the guys to win football games," Darnold said. "But … it's about putting everything together. Right now, we still have a long way to go."
The 2020 season will be a crucial one for Darnold, who must continue to show progress after the Jets traded assets to draft him with the sixth overall pick in 2017.
Last season, Darnold missed three games due to illness, but the Jets were 7-6 when he was under center.
Perhaps the biggest loss in Darnold's arsenal was wide receiver Robby Anderson, who signed with the Carolina Panthers in free agency.
"Yeah, you know me and Robby had a really good connection over the years," Darnold said. "He had gotten a lot better at running routes, as time went on. Some things just didn't line up. But with the weapons that we have now, we're looking … for good production from our wide receivers and running backs, etc."
The Jets will tryto replicate Anderson's production with the lightning-quick Perriman, who burst onto the scene at the end of last season with the Bucs, as well as rookie wideout Mims.
Mims was arguably a borderline first-round pick, who fell to the Jets with the 59th pick overall and could be the potential WR1 on the depth chart.
"He's a great playmaker with a lot of potential," Darnold said.
The Jets quarterback hopes to put his two new receivers to good use as he added that he wants to improve his deep game.
"Continuing to work on deep ball accuracy, is huge for me," he said. "Feel like I left some of those on the table last year."
While Darnold cannot yet work out with his new receivers, or behind his new line (he referred to Becton as a "freak athlete and large human") he is doing everything that he can, to be ready for when the time does come.
"I think we're preparing how we normally prepare," he said. "We've got a pretty good setup. Everything's good…I've been texting, FaceTiming guys as much as I can…we're really trying to stay on task."
