The Offensive Transformation

Edition #627

Good morning. ☕

I know a lot of people reading this won’t have any interest in other sports, but what a week it’s been at MSG with the Knicks and Rangers both taking a 2-0 lead in their semi-final matchups (avoiding spoilers for the Rangers game last night in case anyone has yet to see it). It reminds me of that feeling, reaching back-to-back AFC Championship games. Last season the Jets fell flat because of the offensive ineptitude, Joe Douglas has generated a complete transformation in the hope that doesn't happen again.

🟢 It was revealed yesterday that the Jets decided not to renew the contract of Leon Washington in January. The popular former player was part of the special teams staff, but he’s no longer listed on the website and Brian Costello confirmed that he had left the team. I loved Leon Washington as a player and of course I’d have loved him to stay, but we don’t know how good of a coach he was or the circumstances surrounding him leaving the team.

⚪ PFF released their full review of the Jets draft class and while I hate draft grades (they gave us an A) I do like some of the stats they pulled out. I've copied their review for the first three picks below, but I'd recommend heading over to read it as it outlines all the picks and has a spotlight on Fashanu.

Fashanu — The Jets' offensive line has been a weak point for the last few years. Even though they brought in veteran tackles Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses to strengthen it, bringing in talented depth and getting a succession plan in place makes a lot of sense. Fashanu ranked in the 93rd percentile among qualifying college tackles in pass-blocking grade on true pass sets over the last two seasons.

Corley — The Jets trade up to grab one of the more unique wide receivers in this draft class. As a former running back, he is phenomenal with the ball in his hands. Last season, his 683 yards after the catch was good for second among all receivers in this draft class. He forced 63 missed tackles on 253 receptions over the past three seasons, so he adds another layer to Aaron Rodgers’ passing attack.

Allen — Allen burst onto the college football scene in 2021 and has been one of the best running backs in college football in each of the last three seasons. Only 20 years old, Allen is built like a truck. A valuable asset that he possesses is his ability to finish games — his 409 yards after contact in the second half of games ranked 13th in the FBS in 2023. He is more than capable of making plays in the screen game, but do not expect him to be utilized much outside of the backfield in regards to targets from the slot or out wide.

🟢 Earlier this week we focused on Jordan Travis, a QB with plenty of moxy, plenty of heart but plenty of holes in his game. Chris Simms is buying into the idea that Travis will eventually replace Aaron Rodgers and he also believes that he has the talent to play in the league a long time. “The kid can play, and I think where it is smart is that you got a guy like if Tyrod Taylor is just a one-year backup type of thing, you got Jordan Travis there to be backup, maybe starter type of guy here for a long time in New York," Simms said on NFL on NBC.

⚪ Former Jets DB Buster Skrine is on the run from Canadian police after missing a court date for a bank fraud allegation levied last year. Skrine was arrested in August 2023 and accused of committing over $100,000 in bank fraud in an alleged scheme.

🟢 Fantasy Pros writer Thor Nystrom believes the Jets signed the second best group of UDFA’s following the draft, with the Kansas City Chiefs pipping them to the number one spot. Thor wrote

I may not have been in love with the Jets’ decisions during the draft itself, but boy did they slaughter the UDFA process. New York signed three prospects inside my pre-draft top-153, and a fourth who I gave a draftable grade. They were edged out by the Chiefs for top UDFA class in my metrics by the slimmest of fractional margins. I am most bullish on EDGE Eric Watts, who started three-of-four active seasons at UConn (the Huskies canceled their 2020 season due to COVID). Watts is not a finished product – but he has measurables that portend to NFL success, and his tape is dotted with flash plays both as a defender and as a special-teamer. He posted 22.5 TFL over the last three seasons, and, over the last two campaigns, had nine sacks, two blocked field goals, and a blocked punt. On the measurable side, Watts was close to tops in the EDGE class in three very important categories: 40, vertical, and arm length.

⚪ Dallas Robinson of Pro football Network believes the Jets are the perfect fit for free agent safety Justin Simmons. "Justin Simmons is probably the most talented player on our free-agent list," Robinson wrote. "The 30-year-old was named a second-team All-Pro in four of the past five seasons and will offer 108 games worth of starting experience to his next club. That team could be the New York Jets, who would deploy Tony Adams and Chuck Clark as starting safeties if the season began today. Adams has only started for one year, while Clark missed last season with a torn ACL. Gang Green is all-in on 2024 — why not add a playmaker like Simmons to tie a bow on the roster?”

You got the feeling last season that the Jets put all their eggs in the Aaron Rodgers basket, believing that he could elevate others and eke out the last ounce of productivity from players like Randall Cobb. Unfortunately, with the injury the Jets realised they had a poor backup QB with a poor team around him.

Just take one quick look at the 2023 opening-day roster on offence and you’ll see the issues. No real backup QB, poor depth at offensive tackle, washed talent, and an abyss of playmakers after Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall.