Who is Andrew Peasley?

Edition #629

Good morning! ☕

My English football team (Norwich) are currently competing (against Leeds) in the playoffs to reach the Premier League, and as I was sitting through the most boring 0-0 draw in the first leg on Sunday I was asked by a friend what my realistic expectations were for the Jets in 2024. (For anyone interested the second leg is on Thursday night in Leeds).

I’ve been known to say “this is our year” every year for as long as I’ve been a Jets fan, which is well over 20 years now. One of my first pieces for Bleacher Report (back in 2007 I believe) was about how the Jets were destined for a Lombardi. I was off that year considering we finished 4-12, but this year I could confidently respond that anything less than a AFC Championship appearance would be seen as a disappointment.

🟢 ESPN’s Aaron Schatz published an article outlining the biggest remaining roster holes for all 32 teams and he had TE for the Jets: “The Jets have a pretty steady and deep roster across the board, with the big issue being the lack of a star at tight end. Tyler Conklin, who signed with New York from the Vikings in 2022, hasn't had a positive receiving DVOA in six NFL seasons and ranked 43rd among qualifying tight ends in the past two seasons. Jeremy Ruckert, a third-round pick in 2022, could take over as the starter after becoming a bigger part of the Jets' passing game in Weeks 10-14 last season. New York should consider bringing in quarterback Aaron Rodgers' former Green Bay target Robert Tonyan, who is still a free agent.”

⚪ NFL.com ran an article on ten players who were traded this off-season who are set to have the biggest impact in 2024, and Hasson Reddick was on that list: “Let's not overcomplicate this one. Reddick is a pass-rushing mercenary, having compiled 50.5 sacks over the past four seasons while playing for three different teams (Arizona in 2020, Carolina in 2021, Philadelphia in 2022-23). The Jets needed a pass rusher after losing Bryce Huff, their sacks leader in 2023, to the Eagles in free agency. There's been plenty of turmoil in New York, but the defense -- which ranked third overall and fifth in pressure rate last season -- has been strong. It's in everyone's best interests for that to remain true as we wait to see if Aaron Rodgers, coming off an Achilles tear at age 40, can lift an offense that has finished 25th or worse in each of the past eight seasons. While another traded player, new offensive tackle Morgan Moses, will obviously have an important role there, plug-and-play sack production from Reddick should help keep things humming along on D.”

🟢 Jermaine Johnson had a good year last year, but he’s determined to go one better this season: "All the success in the world is leased and rented, it's never owned," Johnson said. "You can enjoy the little accolades or success you have, but if you don't grind and bust your butt and go to work again and again and again, you're going to lose it. It's going to get repo-ed, so to say. So just understanding, OK, cool, I had a decent year, not to my standard for myself, so I know I've just got to go back to work and work even harder and just keep a level head. Keep the highs not too high, the lows not too low, and keep having confidence in myself and showing up for my teammates."

⚪ Who’s the most underrated player on the Jets heading into 2024? According to PFF the answer to that question is D.J Reed. “It is not easy to find an underrated Jet amid a roster with so many first-round picks and players who have been playing at a high level in recent seasons. Reed gets the nod because he has been overshadowed by Sauce Gardner over the past two seasons. His 3,690 snaps since 2020 rank eighth at the position, and his 85.3 overall grade is the sixth-best mark among cornerbacks.” It’s hard to argue with that, my immediate thought was DJ or MC2.

🟢 PFF also outlined the strongest and weakest position groups at each position following free agency and the draft. The Jets didn’t appear in any of the weakest groups and PFF believe that the Jets CB room is the strongest in the NFL: “Until someone supplants Sauce Gardner as the best cornerback in the NFL, it’ll be hard to take this spot from the Jets in the coming years. A unit that PFF ranked No. 1 heading into 2023 retains that spot for 2024. Gardner has excellent teammates in D.J. Reed (77.9 PFF grade in 2023) and Michael Carter II (80.4), forming a unit that makes life difficult for opposing quarterbacks. The Jets cornerbacks' 91.5 overall grade and 92.7 coverage grade over the past two seasons are the best in the NFL.”

In my opinion the Jets have learned from their mistakes when it comes to the Quarterback position. Last year they brought in Aaron Rodgers and failed to consider what would happen if he were to get injured. Which is strange considering they were starting a pair of tackles with significant injury history in week one.

This year they went out and got two good tackles and drafted another with the 11th pick in the draft. Morgan Moses has been pretty reliable his whole career and Tyron Smith managed to stay relatively healthy last year (for him) with a new schedule that reduces his practice time. That works for the Jets for two reasons, one it keep their All-Pro left tackle healthy and two, it allows them to give Olu Fashanu plenty of practice reps at left tackle, which is where they envision him playing for the next 10+ years.

The Jets have worked to protect Aaron Rodgers, they’ve also signed Tyrod Taylor to be ready if the worst were to happen again. A smart move considering Rodgers is now 40-years-old and coming off major surgery. They’ve also drafted a QB they hope can develop into the eventual successor. All in all it’s a good strategy, whether you agree with the decision to draft Travis or not.