New York Jets: Re-Signing Brant Boyer was right move

It was recently reported that the New York Jets had given an extension to special teams coordinator Brant Boyer and given his success this past season, it was certainly the right move to make.

Following a dreadful 2018 season that saw the New York Jets finish with a disappointing 4-12 record, the organization unsurprisingly elected to fire head coach Todd Bowles. And just this week, the Jets formally announced former Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase as the new head man in charge. With that news, it’s expected that much of Bowles’ staff won’t return to Florham Park for the 2019 campaign, but that won’t entirely be the case.

According to a recent report from Sirius XM’s Adam Caplan, the Jets have extended the contract of special teams coordinator Brant Boyer. Caplan also claimed that Boyer likely would have had offers from other teams had him and the Jets not come to an agreement.

Due to the lack of success across the board in 2018, it was expected that Bowles’ last days with the team were coming. Also, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see much of his staff looking for new employment in the near future. Boyer, however, falls into a different category and the Jets undoubtedly made the right move by keeping him on board.

A former linebacker, Boyer played ten seasons in the NFL, spending time with the Miami Dolphins, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Cleveland Browns. He concluded his playing career in 2003 and transitioned to his first coaching stint in 2012, serving as the assistant special teams coach for the Indianapolis Colts.

Boyer then signed on as the Jets special teams coordinator in 2016 and prior to his arrival, the unit was nothing special. Those struggles continued throughout his first two years in the role, as the unit was ranked 32nd in 2016 and 25th in 2017 according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA rankings.

2018, however, was a completely different story for the Jets special teams, as the unit looked to be revitalized under the tutelage of Boyer. Not only was the unit ranked as the best in the NFL per those same rankings, but it also consisted of two Pro Bowl selections in return man Andre Roberts and kicker Jason Myers.

On 40 kick returns, Roberts totaled 1,174 yards and one touchdown while totaling 324 yards and one touchdown on punt returns. Myers, meanwhile, connected on 33 of his 36 field goal attempts in what turned out to be a breakout year for him.

Clearly, the Jets had a multitude of issues in 2018. The defense, which was supposed to be one of the team’s strong points, was inconsistent and lacked discipline at times. The offense, on the other hand, lacked the necessary spark and was simply abysmal for much of the season.

Special teams, however, was a bright spot for the Jets and undoubtedly the team’s best unit as a whole throughout 2018. Boyer deserves a ton of credit for that, as he turned out to be a diamond in the rough for the green and white.

Because of this, keeping him on board as the organization enters a new era was the correct move to make.