Top 3 burning questions for the Jets special teams in 2018

The New York Jets come into the 2018 season with some shiny new pieces on the defensive and offensive sides of the football. However, let’s look at the top three burning questions for their special teams headed into the new season. 

Some say defense wins championships, while others believe the key to a Super Bowl run is a high-powered offense. Well, no team is completely well-rounded without strong special teams play. It’s an area the New York Jets have had problems with over the past few years.

Special teams play can be the determining factor for any team. Again, this is an area in which the Jets struggled last year to even get good field positioning for their offense.

Pro Football Focus gave the Jets a final special teams ranking of 22. Yet, there have been some moves and upgrades to address this aspect of the team.

This leads to the three biggest questions for the Jets special teams in 2018.

3. Is Cairo Santos the answer?

The Jets struggled when it came to converting field goal opportunities in 2017. Todd Bowles and Mike Maccagnan took a flyer on Chandler Catanzaro, and the results varied.

In his first two seasons in the NFL, Catanzaro was a steady kicker. However, the South Carolina native essentially wore out his welcome in Arizona during the 2016 season.

In his defense, Catanzaro did play better in his only season in New York in 2017. He didn’t miss a single extra point, but he was still tied for 18th in the NFL with a made field goal percentage of 83.3 percent.

The Jets decided to go a different route this offseason, which led to the signing of Cairo Santos. Oddly enough, Santos finds himself susceptible to the same issues Catanzaro does.

Maybe the Jets coaching staff sees something in Santos? Perhaps they believe he can be the answer to a position that has been a revolving door since Nick Folk left in 2016.

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Next: 2. Can Lac Edwards replicate his solid 2017 season?

2. Can Lac Edwards replicate his solid 2017 season?

To the casual fan, praising a punter may seem outrageous. But, to the die-hard fans, they know how well Jets punter Lac Edwards performed in 2017.

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Edwards had an intriguing 2017, which can largely be attributed to the Jets lack of an offensive attack. He was second in total punts behind former New York Giants punter Brad Wing and second in total gross punting yards to Houston Texans punter Shane Lechler.

The Australian native’s longest punt was 70 yards, and he was top-10 in punts inside the 20-yard line and fair catches forced. Although, he was tied for first in returns allowed, was 11th in the league in gross punting average and 19th in the league with a 40.5 net punting average.

Edwards played well for the Jets last season, but he also has room to improve. The Jets will look to see him flip the field and develop as the team heads into the new season.

Next: 1. Can the Jets get some production on kickoff/punt returns?

1. Can the Jets get some production on kickoff/punt returns?

The Jets got little to no production on kickoff and punt returns last year. Yes, this is an issue simply for the fact that you’d like to see more explosive plays from this unit.

But, the Jets inability to get much from this unit will be a substantially bigger problem this season. Why? The quarterback situation. The Jets constantly put Josh McCown in situations where he would have to try and drive long lengths of the field in 2017.

This won’t fly anymore in 2018 because the last thing the team wants to do is hand a signal caller coming off a career-threatening injury, or a rookie QB, a scenario where they may have to drive 75+ plus yards on a regular basis.

There are only two players on the current roster who have had reps on punt and kick returns: Elijah McGuire and ArDarius Stewart. Field position is the name of the game and winning the field position battle can be a big game-changer for a team like the Jets.