10 Free Agents the Jets could target
Free agency is just around the corner
Good morning Jets fans and welcome to Monday’s edition of TJW. If you follow me on Twitter you’ll know that I’m moving house this week, so TJW may be a little disrupted as I get settled, but we’ll be back to regular editions before the draft. I’ll do my best to keep it as regular as I possibly can.
Free Agency officially begins at 4:00pm EST on March 16th, so we’re just a couple of weeks away now, and JD will be clarifying his plans from A all the way through to Z. The NFL franchise tag period has already begun and already we’re hearing rumors that two names could hit the open market in J.C. Jackson and Dalton Schultz. Today I’m going to run through 10 free agents the Jets could target.
There are a lot of free agents so this won’t be an exhaustive list, I didn’t just want to focus on the top guys, but different players at different levels. So if the guy you love isn’t on here, then that doesn’t mean I don’t think the Jets will be interested.
J.C. Jackson - New England Patriots, Cornerback
J.C. Jackson is setting himself up to be a special player, he excels as a man-coverage corner but he’s not bad in zone coverage either, his 75.5 PFF grade in zone is better than any Jets corner in 2021 and his 89.0 PFF grade in man was the third-highest mark in the league.
Jackson would give the Jets a potential lockdown corner to play opposite Bryce Hall and his sticky coverage will improve the Jets pass-rush by forcing the QB to hold onto the ball. Jackson allows a 51% completion into his coverage (5th best in the league) and an NFL passer rating of 47.8 (3rd best in the league).
His ability to shift momentum with game-changing interceptions is something the Jets desperately need and only Dallas’s Trevon Diggs (11) had more INTs than Jackson (8) last season, and his 12 pass break-ups also ranked him 6th.
Jackson is going to want to get paid, and so he should. He’s only just turned 26 so his best years are ahead of him, chances are the Jets are going to be interested. Any signing that strengthens your own team and weakens a divisional opponent is a good signing. His estimated contract is 4 years at $72 million with $56 million guaranteed.
Dalton Schultz - Dallas Cowboys, Tight End
Some people are wary of Schultz considering him a result of his environment, playing on the same team as Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Michael Gallup means you don’t get a whole lot of attention…but counting him out based on that would be a mistake.
Based on a minimum target # of 30, Schultz was graded as the 7th best tight end in the league in 2021 (44 qualifiers). His 3.7% drop rate had him inside the top 10 showing his reliability, something that the Jets and Zach Wilson need from the TE position. His 63.2% contested catch success rate was a top 10 mark in the league, and when you factor in volume (players who had at least 10 opportunities) he was ranked 4th.
Those skills are transferable across systems and the fact that he’s a decent to good run-blocker makes him valuable to the Jets wide zone running scheme. There is nothing stopping the Jets from signing someone like Schultz and then taking a tight end in the draft, that could be McBride in the 2nd, or it could be someone like Charlie Kolar or Jake Ferguson in the 4th.
Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Wide Receiver
After playing on the franchise tag in 2021 before suffering a devastating torn ACL in week 15, it’s unlikely that Godwin will return to Tampa Bay on the tag again in 2022. That doesn’t mean he won’t be signed long-term by Tampa, but there’s a very real chance he hits the open market and unlike Davante Adams, I think there’s at least a chance the Jets could be players.
The Jets signed Corey Davis last off-season, but they can move on from him after the 2022 season without much of a hit, so I don’t see handing out another big-money wide receiver contract as a problem. Chances are Godwin will be looking for between $16 million and $18 million a year.
Before going down with an ACL injury, Godwin was on pace for another outstanding year. He caught 98 of his 124 targets giving him a reception percentage of 79% which was the 4th highest mark in the league. He has inside-out versatility having run around 70% of his routes out of the slot with 30% coming out wide. He was also a 63.6% contested catcher which is a good mark for a wide receiver.
Marcus Williams - New Orleans Saints, Safety
The Jet’s safety position is a little bit of a mess right now, you could easily look at the players rostered for next season and not see a single starter. Ashtyn Davis has so far been extremely disappointing and Marcus Maye is a FA, as is LaMarcus Joyner. Whispers out of 1JD indicate the Jets are ready to open up and sign one of the marquee names on the market, and Marcus Williams may be the best name on the market. (I do expect Jessie Bates to get tagged)
Williams is one of the best coverage safeties in the NFL, his PFF coverage grade of 84.3 would put him 8th out of 139 safeties in 2021. His 50% completions allowed would rank him inside the top 10 and he allowed 1 touchdown against 2 interceptions and 5 pass breakups. The only slight concern with Williams is his tackling, his 14% missed tackle rate in 2021 is a little concerning, but the pros certainly outweigh the cons.
People sometimes believe that because Joe Douglas didn’t pay Jamal Adams or Marcus Maye, he doesn’t value the safety position. I think he’s just looking for the right person to pay and Marcus Williams could be that anchor in the young secondary. Like with J.C. Jackson, Williams coverage will make the Jets pass-rush a lot better.
The Jets will need to pay for the consistency that Williams brings, but with him avoiding major injuries in his career, you have a higher comfort level handing out the $$$. Estimates have Williams receiving a 4-year contract worth between $15 million and $16 million a year.
James Daniels, Offensive Guard, Chicago Bears
The Jet’s offensive line starting to gel towards the end of the 2021 season, and if the Jets can get Becton back to his best and playing hard on the right side of the line, it could be a good unit with someone like LDT slotted in at RG. However, chances are the Jets are going to look to upgrade that RG either in the draft or through free agency, and that’s where James Daniels comes in.
Unlike a lot of options doing the rounds, signing James Daniels wouldn’t mean a position shift. He wouldn’t be an LG moving to RG or a center moving to RG, he would be an RG playing his natural position which is always a positive. The former 2nd round pick has been a consistently good player on the line since 2018 without being outstanding.
He has played left guard historically so he does have that versatility, but he played every snap for Chicago in 2021 at RG. He did allow 3 sacks working on a poor line and with numerous QBs including Justin Fields who like Zach Wilson had a habit of holding onto the ball for too long, but he did grade out well according to PFF. Daniels was given a 71.8 run-blocking grade and a 68.3 pass-blocking grade for an overall score of 71.0, which would have been the best mark on the Jets.
Daniels isn’t an elite player, but he is a good player who has the potential to get better. He’s almost more suited to the zone scheme that the Jets run. Estimates have his contract at around 5 years and $50 million, with around 50% of that being guaranteed.
Foyesade Oluokun - Atlanta Falcons, Linebacker
The Jets linebackers were left out to dry a little bit in 2021 with the defensive line inefficiencies. They didn’t help themselves with some poor gap recognition and their coverage ability is questionable at best. I really like C.J Mosley and think Quincy Williams is a talented downhill thumper, but we can’t just rely on two guys. Rookie Jamien Sherwood is coming off a very bad injury and fellow rookie Hamsah Nasrilideen was relegated to special teams duties.
Foyesade is an interesting name, he was drafted by Atlanta while current Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was the Falcons linebackers coach and he became a starter with Ulbrich as the defensive coordinator. He’s the same size as Sherwood and he has bags of speed.
Oluokun has his most productive season in Atlanta in 2021 recording 131 tackles and he may be looking to reconnect with his former defensive coordinator. He’s the perfect WLB for our system and should be available for around $8 million per season. I could see the Jets making a play for Oluokun to improve our run defense and add more speed to our 2nd level.
Jayron Kearse - Dallas Cowboys, Safety
Our second safety on the board, Jayron could be a nice backup if the Jets don’t want to pay the kind of money Marcus Williams will be asking for and in some ways he is my preferred choice at the position.
Kearse is coming off the best season in his career where he put up a stat line to rival a lot of safeties in the league. His minuscule 3.2% missed tackle rate ranks him in the top 5 at the position, as does his 11 QB pressures and 9 pass break-ups (1st in the league).
Jayron Kearse is a 6’4, 215lb safety that has bags of speed and great instincts. He was a 7th round pick of Minnesota out of Clemson and made an impact with the Vikings before moving to the Cowboys. The best thing about Kearse is you can move him all over the formation, here is a breakdown of where he aligned as well as the snaps at that alignment:
DL - 168
Box - 415
FS - 177
Slot - 202
Corner - 50
Contract estimations have him receiving a three-year deal worth $5 million per year. Sign me up to that immediately.
B.J. Hill - Cincinnati Bengals, Defensive Tackle
The Jet’s run defense was pretty embarrassing last season and only Quinnen Williams offered a consistent pass-rush from the interior. The Jets defensive system is predicated on the defensive lineman getting pressure and the team not having to send a blitz. The Jets blitzed more than they wanted to in 2021 and the hope is that with the return of Lawson the Jets can improve their pass-rush organically.
Saying that Foley Fatukasi is set to be a free agent and the Jets could cut Sheldon Rankins to save cap space. Former first-round pick Rankins did flash at points in 2021, but he was amongst the worst run defensive interior defensive lineman in the league. The Jets can improve both their run defense and their interior pass rush with the signing of B.J. Hill.
Hill recorded a career-high 29 pressures in 2021 and his PFF run-defense grade of 68.6 is significantly higher than both Fatukasi (57.3) and Rankins (34.4). It’s estimated that Hill will sign a 3-year deal worth around $25 million in total.
Hassan Reddick - Carolina Panthers, Edge
After signing Carl Lawson last off-season to a big 3 year $45 million deal, many expect the Jets to look to the draft for another edge rather than spend on one. But if there are two positions where I could see the Jets double downing on talent in free agency, it’s the offensive and defensive lines.
Reddick was one of the more productive edges in football last season. His 15 sacks ranked 6th in the league and his 35 defensive stops ranked just outside the top 10 at 11th overall. Reddick is productive against the pass and the run. After transitioning from an off-the-ball linebacker to a full-time edge, Reddick has used his speed and quickness to disrupt QBs, and that’s something the Jets could utilize with their system.
The issue for Reddick is that he doesn’t possess great size, he’s listed as 6’1 and 235lbs which isn’t ideal for the 4-3 system we run. He’s significantly stronger than his frame would indicate and it’s his speed that gets him on this list. He’s more suited to an OLB than a 4-3 DE and as such I don’t think the Jets would be interested, but I wanted to put a little dark horse on the list.
Takkarist McKinley - Cleveland Browns - Edge
I’m going to finish this off with another edge prospect and this one is former first-round pick Takkarist McKinley who spent the 2021 season with the Browns. Last year we brought in Vinny Curry to be a situational pass-rusher and he was ruled out before the season even started, I see McKinley filling that same hole in the 2022 season…but actually filling it this time.
McKinley managed 25 pressures in 214 pass-rush snaps, which isn’t bad at all. He’s a perfect scheme fit because he’s done most of his damage rushing from a wide-9 alignment, and he’s a player that can be rotated in and out quite easily. He’s also likely to be available on a one-year $4 million deal, making it a very low-risk move.
I’m not sure McKinley will ever live up to his first-round draft stock, but he does have 150 pressures and 22 sacks over 5 years and his tackling was much improved in 2021. At just 26 years old and ideal for our system, I think it makes sense for the Jets to take a chance on him with a one-year deal, potentially with a team option for year 2.
10 other names I like that aren’t on this list:
DJ Reed - Cornerback, Seattle Seahawks
Jessie Bates - Safety, Cincinnati Bengals
Carlton Davis - Cornerback, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Williams - Wide Receiver, LA Chargers
Allen Robinson - Wide Receiver, Chicago Bears
Maxx Williams - Tight End, Arizona Cardinals
Laken Tomlinson - Guard, San Francisco 49’ers
Michael Gallup - Wide Receiver, Dallas Cowboys
Cordarrelle Patterson - Wide Receiver/Running Back, Atlanta Falcons
Connor Williams - Guard, Dallas Cowboys
I am not greedy. 5,6,7 would be brilliant as they are greats fits who plug holes and would clarify our draft strategy. Would those players want to play for us? We are at least a year away from being ready for primetime.
This is awesome, would love most on this list but probably unrealistic. Williams, Schultz and Jackson would be ideal. Maybe if we can grab Reddick then that's not too bad.