Between the Jets’ relative lack of talent and head coach Adam Gase’s leadership deficiencies, you can argue that this entire season was always meant as an audition for the future. Did anyone really believe they had a chance to succeed?
With a franchise-worst 0-12 mark entering Sunday’s contest in Seattle, they certainly haven’t. Still, now that Gang Green is heading into the final quarter of this nightmarish season, it’s time to start focusing on who general manager Joe Douglas should bring back in 2021.
Douglas turned over approximately half the roster last offseason and, between the number of pending free agents and those who should be outright cut with minimal or no guarantees on contracts for next season, it wouldn’t be shocking if he matches that rate again by the end of the spring.
The following breakdown is an early list, by position, of who should stay or go from this offense:
Quarterbacks
Stay: Joe Flacco, James Morgan
Go: Sam Darnold
If the Jets complete the tank to secure the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, they should select the best quarterback available. If the Jets mess up by winning a game and finish with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, they should select the best quarterback available.
Either way, Darnold is broken and must be dealt before the Draft. Flacco, should he not find a better gig in free agency, is worth bringing back as insurance and a mentor for the rookie. The fact that Gase would never let Morgan, Douglas’ fourth-round pick, dress as QB2 when Darnold was inactive isn’t a good sign, but he should at least make it to next training camp.
Running Backs
Stay: La’Mical Perine, Ty Johnson, Josh Adams
Go: Frank Gore
Gase’s obsession this season with the 37-year-old Gore is among the most baffling of his decisions. Would the Jets have plowed through the Raiders for 206 yards rushing last week if Gore hadn’t suffered a concussion on the first series, forcing Gase to turn to a Johnson/Adams combination? I don’t think so, either. While my hopes aren’t as high as some on Perine, running back should be the least of Douglas’ concerns this offseason, especially if the Jets teach Johnson how to pick up a blitz.
Wide receiver
Stay: Denzel Mims, Jamison Crowder, Lawrence Cager
Go: Breshad Perriman, Braxton Berrios, Jeff Smith, Vyncint Smith
After quarterback, this has to be Douglas’ top priority in both the Draft and free agency. He hit on second-rounder Mims, but the Jets need a true No. 1. Outside of the New England game, Perriman has been a huge disappointment, missing four games with injuries and failing to reach 80 yards receiving in seven others. He may find a team to equal his $6.5 million 2020 contract in free agency, but it shouldn’t be the Jets.
Despite also sitting out four games, Crowder is the team leader in receptions – with nearly twice as many as second-place Perriman – and was open for far more chances lost by faulty QB decisions with the ball. For Crowder’s backup in the slot, though, the Jets can do better than Berrios, who has the 19th-worst drop rate among the 92 NFL receivers with at least 35 targets this season, per ProFootballFocus.com, and has three times as many fair catches (15) as punt returns (5, for a 23rd-ranked 7.1 yard-per-return average).
Both Smiths and Cager will be free agents and have done nothing to warrant anything more than a training camp invite at minimal cost, though I like the injured Cager’s potential a little more.
Tight Ends
Stay: Ryan Griffin, Trevon Wesco
Go: Chris Herndon, Ross Travis, Daniel Brown
Herndon may be entering the final year of his rookie contract, but how do you bring him back after the season he has had: a mind-blowing 20 percent drop rate (highest among the 35 tight ends with at least 20 targets, per PFF) and two fumbles? It’s not as if Griffin has been electric, with just nine receptions this season, but cutting him would come with a $1.45 million dead money cap hit.
If only the Jets could take the best of both worlds in PFF’s blocking grades: Herndon excels in pass protection (fourth among 38 at his position with at least 195 snaps) , but not so much in the ground game (29th), while Griffin has the reverse split (5th in run blocking, 26th in pass protection). Wesco should return for his third season of his rookie contract while Brown and Travis will be free agents.
Offensive Line
Stay: Mekhi Becton, George Fant, Connor McGovern, Greg Van Roten, Chuma Edoga, Conor McDermott, Cameron Clark
Go: Alex Lewis, Pat Elflein, Josh Andrews, Jimmy Murray
Count on Douglas to continue to expend resources in this area. He has his bookends, securing a blind-side tackle for the next decade by taking Becton 11th overall in the 2020 Draft and signing Fant, who has had an up-and-down campaign, to man the opposite side.
Backup tackles McDermott and Edoga are both signed for next season, though I wish they weren’t. The interior of the line has had issues, though McGovern and Van Roten have seen upticks in their more recent outings and should be back. On the other hand, Lewis, who is on the non-football injury list, should be a cap casualty ($5.4 million in savings) after ranking 61st among 70 guards (200 pass block snap minimum) in pass blocking efficiency, per PFF. Not hard to believe, but though they didn’t meet the qualifying criteria, both Andrews and Elflein fared even worse in that stat.
Kicker
Go: Sam Ficken, Sergio Castillo
Ficken started hot before he got hurt after Week 6, but only two of his nine field goal makes were from beyond 40 yards. Castillo has been better, but the 30-year-old journeyman is not a long-term solution. The Jets could use an upgrade here.
Next Week: The Defense
For a FAN’s perspective of the Nets, Devils and Jets, follow Steve Lichtenstein on Twitter: @SteveLichtenst1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
