Jets Defense Has The Tools Needed To Show Dramatic Improvement
By Steve Silverman
Most of the attention surrounding the Jets at this point early in training camp is on the offense, and specifically the quarterback position.
The Jets selected Sam Darnold with the No. 3 spot in the draft, and there was a fair degree of disappointment because the former USC quarterback was not in camp. However, cooler heads have prevailed and he has ended his holdout.
Early reports indicate that Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater both look promising at this point, and it's very unlikely that Darnold will see regular-season game action in the first month of the season. The Jets won't have a problem with this holdout unless it extends another week.
Head coach Todd Bowles is counting on significant improvement from the defense this season if the Jets are going to rise above the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins in the AFC East and approach a winning record. The Jets ranked 25th in yards allowed last season, 24th in rushing yards allowed per game and 28th in sacks per attempt.
The Jets need more production and efficiency from the defensive line and the linebackers, but the secondary looks like it could be one of the team's most notable strengths.
Trumaine Johnson is a lock-down corner who has a chance to become a star, and he was given $34 million to dominate for the Jets. He has huge shoes to fill, because Darrelle Revis set the tone at that position for so many years. Not only for the Jets -- but for the league -- because he was the best at his position during his prime.
As long as Johnson performs to expectations, that will give the secondary a major lift. Morris Claiborne will have the responsibility of covering the No. 2 wideout from the opposite CB position, and he should be solid.
Defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers needs to get inside the head of free safety Marcus Maye and make sure that the second-year player from Florida plays instinctively at the position. A free safety needs great instincts more than any single physical quality, and if he is thinking about his responsibilities rather than playing with a sense of freedom, he will not succeed.
Maye has all the ability in the world, but he seemed constricted last year, and that must change. Strong safety Jamal Adams is a hard hitter who has the talent to put the clamp on most tight ends.
The defensive line and linebackers have a long way to go before the Jets can have a consistent defense.
Defensive end Leonard Williams is the most talented player the Jets have up front in their 3-4 defense. He is durable and strong and has not missed a game in three seasons. But he had just two sacks last year and needs to step up in that area, even though he will regularly face double teams.
Second-round draft pick Nathan Shepherd may not have the complete game to be an every-down player as a rookie defensive end, since he played his college football at Division II Fort Hays State. But he has athletic ability and a hunger to get to the quarterback. Shepherd could turn out to be a solid contributor.
Steve McLendon will provide toughness at the nose tackle position, while ex-Colt Henry Anderson should be a decent contributor after registering 22 tackles, 2.0 sacks and one forced fumble with Indianapolis last year.
The linebackers have to step up this season, particularly OLBs Jordan Jenkins and Josh Martin. Those two combined for 4.5 sacks, and that's not good enough.
However, there is reason for hope. The Jets would often put plenty of pressure on opposing quarterbacks, but those hits would come right after the ball was released. If Jenkins and Martin show a modicum of improvement, those hits could turn into sacks this year.
Bowles knows that's what must happen if the Jets are going to play consistently on defense.
"In a 3-4 defense, you get a lot of rush from the outside linebackers," Jets coach Todd Bowles said. "We need a little more sack production there or just pressure production overall, not necessarily sacks."
Bowles refers to it as "pressure production," because that pressure turns into sacks, batted passes or interceptions.
Bowles and Rodgers feel good about inside linebacker Avery Williamson and Darron Lee. Williamson (196 stops the last two years with Tennessee) is a tackling machine who does not let opposing ball carriers slip through his grasp, while Lee was one of the most improved players on the team last year.
Most of the attention will be on the offense and the development of a rookie quarterback now that he has reported. However, the real progress could come from the defense, and the building blocks are in place.
If the outside linebackers can provide the pass rush that was missing a year ago, this unit has a chance to power past mediocre expectations this season.
