Top 3 positions Jets should immediately address this offseason

As the New York Jets prepare for the long offseason ahead, here are the top three positions they should immediately address this offseason.

With Super Bowl LII officially in the books, teams can now head into the long offseason ahead. The New York Jets have a lot of areas of need but brighter days are indeed ahead. With a lot of salary cap money to play with, a full draft class that awaits, and a general manager that knows how to find talent, the Jets should have one of their busiest offseasons yet.

Ideally, the Jets at this point in time have a little over $70 million in salary cap money but have yet to make any roster cuts to add more to it. Expect to see the Jets move on from some of their household names in an effort to not only add more money but to field a better roster next season.

Remember, don’t be bothered if some of your favorite players of last season (Muhammad Wilkerson, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Josh McCown, etc.) don’t return. At the end of the day, it’s all about having the best roster possible which means some tough decisions await Mike Maccagnan as he addresses positions that are in dire need of better talent.

With positions should be prioritized by the Jets? Here are the top three positions that should be immediately addressed this offseason.

3. Pass rush

28. Besides being the jersey number of legendary running back Curtis Martin, that’s the number of sacks the Jets defense had in 2017. Yep, that’s it. Needless to say, their overall pass rush left much to the imagination.

The Jets defensive line had a lackluster year by the slumping Wilkerson, Leonard Williams dealing with a nagging wrist injury throughout the season, and Steve McLendon who was inconsistent. The linebacker corps of the Jets improved a bit compared to last season, but when your defensive line can’t consistently pressure or sack the quarterback, everything else just falls apart.

Whether it’s in free agency or this year’s draft, the Jets need to bolster their pass rush. Ideally, getting an edge rusher or two would help give their defense a much-needed boost. The kind of boost that makes their defense formidable.

Hopefully, the Jets grab a top free agent that specializes in sacks and pressuring the quarterback like there is no tomorrow. Once they add that to their defense, it will easily make it a strength again.

Next: 2. Offensive Line

2. Offensive Line

In football, if you want to win games, you need to win the battle in the trenches. The Jets offensive line was one of the worst seen in franchise history last season. They were unable to protect the quarterback, establish the right rushing gaps/lanes, and steadily declined as the season progressed.

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The Jets need upgrades at center, guard, and tackle, pretty much the entire line. They need to infuse better talent and more importantly, depth, to ensure their offensive line doesn’t miss a beat this upcoming season. Injuries hit the offensive line hard as to which the Jets never truly recovered from.

In this year’s free agency, center Ryan Jensen could be the anchor the Jets need to immediately bolster their offensive line. He’s young, consistent, and is exactly the kind of talent the Jets need to begin revamping their offensive line to be improved from everything that was lacking last year.

Hopefully, the Jets consider using their No. 6 overall pick on an offensive lineman or even one of their two second-round picks. It might not be the most exciting pick if the Jets went that route but it’s crucial to future success on offense.

Next: 1. Quarterback

1. Quarterback

Did you expect anything other than quarterback being the top position the Jets need to immediately address this offseason? It’s no secret that the Jets quarterback situation is in dire need of change and obviously, better talent.

Don’t expect McCown to replicate the success he had last year as the Jets need to boldly make big moves this offseason at quarterback. If they’re able to land potential free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins, that would be a huge upgrade at the most important position on the team.

It should also not be expected for the Jets to bring back anyone from last year. McCown would be best suited as a backup but what about Bryce Petty or Christian Hackenberg? Ideally, the Jets could cut ties with everyone and start from scratch or perhaps only keep one they feel is worth it. In such a scenario, it would be wise to cut one or the other, whichever brings the least upside, and draft yet another one who could potentially be their next franchise quarterback.

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Having an established player like Cousins and a rookie quarterback with tremendous upside would secure the position for years to come with a player that can win right now with another being developed for the future. Either way, the quarterback position is the top one the Jets need to immediately address. Hopefully, Maccagnan will be aggressive if Cousins or any other quarterback he feels would be perfect for the Jets in free agency and make some serious moves. Until the Jets fix their quarterback situation once and for all, they’ll be on the outside looking in.