Making the case to trade Morris Claiborne

As the NFL trade deadline is on the horizon, the New York Jets would be wise to make a big deal involving cornerback Morris Claiborne to bolster their ailing offense.

At this point in time, the New York Jets are hurting on offense with a plethora of injuries. They’ve lost wide receiver Quincy Enunwa for the next few weeks due to injury, running back Bilal Powell is out for the year, and Terrelle Pryor was released, also due to being hurt. Center Spencer Long also has a leg injury and other injuries as well that have hindered his ability to get the job done on the offensive line.

The NFL trade deadline is 4:00 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday, October 30, 2018, and the Jets should try and make a move or two in order to help their offense out. Quarterback Sam Darnold has been progressing and developing well but without any consistent weapons on offense from here on out, the last thing the Jets need is for him to take a step back due to not having the right talent around him.

As teams across the league will likely heat up trade talks to do what it takes to bolster their roster, every team has at least a player that is on the trading block. For the Jets, it’s easily cornerback Morris Claiborne.

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The truth of the matter is, Claiborne is an unrestricted free agent next offseason and while he’s been a solid defender for the Jets, they should trade him now to continue preparing for a brighter future. Whether he’s traded for an offensive playmaker or lineman now or even an extra pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Jets have more than enough depth in their defensive secondary to warrant such a move.

Ideally, Claiborne’s value as a trade piece for a future draft pick is decent as he should be able to get the Jets at least a 3rd or 4th round pick. He’s been healthy and proved that he still has a lot of football left in him to continue being a quality starting cornerback in the league.

General manager Mike Maccagnan has too many injuries on offense and so far, the Jets are far from being playoff contenders this season. It’s best to trade one of their top players now to fix their offensive issues or at the very least, have another draft pick in Maccagnan’s arsenal to continue building this team into a contender over the next few years.