The Jets are in a familiar position as they head into the start of a new NFL league year. They are attempting to enhance their status in the AFC East and close the gap on the New England Patriots.
The Pats have owned the division seemingly forever, and they haven’t been out of first place at the end of the season since 2008, back when Tom Brady was out virtually the entire season with a knee injury.
The Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins and Jets have made life relatively easy for Brady, Bill Belichick and the rest of the New England organization, as those three teams have bounced back and forth between awful and mediocre throughout the majority of the years.
The Jets are coming off back-to-back 5-11 seasons, but they appeared to be in complete disarray after the 2016 season. There was some hope last year, when they seemed to overachieve early on with a 3-2 start.
The following three games were losses to the Patriots, Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons, but they were all close, and they conceivably could have won all of them.
However, there’s much work to be done by general manager Mike Maccagnan. He needs a full offseason of upgrades, beginning in free agency, and then he must take that momentum into the draft in late April. The good news is, according to Spotrac.com, the Jets sit $92 million under the salary cap, trailing only the Cleveland Browns.
Kirk Cousins, QB
Cousins is the big prize in free agency, and the Jets, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals are the teams that are believed to have a real interest in the quarterback.
The Redskins have brought in Alex Smith to take his place, but their logic appears to be faulty because Cousins is one of the most productive and consistent quarterbacks in the league.
MORE: Reports: Jets Face Stiff Competition For Kirk Cousins
Cousins’ numbers with the Redskins were the stuff of dreams over the past three seasons. He started all 16 games in 2015, ’16 and ’17, and that is eyeopening. His completion percentages have been 69.8, 67.0 and 64.3 over the past three years, and his TD-to-interception ratios have been 29-to-11, 25-to-12 and 27-to-13.
USA TODAY Images Malcolm Butler, CB
You may have noticed that Butler did not get off the bench in New England’s Super Bowl loss to Philadelphia last month for anything but special teams play.
Butler did something to anger Belichick, and the story is still something of a mystery. However, Butler can be a game-changing cover corner, and he would provide an upgrade for the Jets.
Butler is best known for his game-clinching interception in the Pats' Super Bowl XLIX win over the Seattle Seahawks, and that play during his rookie year propelled him to back-to-back excellent seasons in 2015 and '16. There may have been some slippage in 2017, but the 28-year-old Butler can still be a difference maker for a defense that finished 24th overall, and 21st against the pass.
Allen Robinson, WR
Robinson is another solid target for the Jets. However, after being one of the most productive receivers in the NFL in 2015 and ’16, he is trying to bounce back from the ACL he tore in Week 1 last season against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Robinson caught 153 passes for 2,283 yards with 20 touchdowns in his last two full seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He is also a confident athlete who is anxious to prove that he is still among the most dangerous receivers in the league.
MORE: Former Jets Cornerback Antonio Cromartie Announces Retirement
The 6-foot-3, 209-pound Robinson will be an expensive proposition, but the belief here is that he will provide a dramatic upgrade for a team that needs go-to wide receivers.
Nate Solder, OT
If the Jets are going to pursue New England’s Butler, they also need to make a run at Solder, who spent the first seven years of his career with the Patriots.
Solder is not the best pass-blocking tackle in the league, but he excels as a run blocker and has a snarl to his game and a nasty attitude. The Jets had terrible issues with their run blocking last year, and Solder has the ability and intangibles to provide a major upgrade at right tackle.
Trumaine Johnson, CB
We have established that the Jets need help in their secondary, and if they can get their hands on a big, strong defensive back who is also a solid cover man, they should do it.
Johnson, who spent the past six seasons with the Rams, fits that description. At 6-1 and 207 pounds, he has the size to deliver impressive hits that can cause receivers to have second thoughts when they come across the cornerback.
Johnson is a playmaker and a hitter. He had 13 passes defensed, two interceptions (one returned for a TD), a forced fumble and a fumble recovery last year.
A combination of Butler and Johnson at cornerback would make the Jets a much tougher defensive team and give them a fighting chance to climb the ladder in the AFC East and make a run at the aging Patriots.