3 moves still left for NY Jets to make after the 2023 NFL Draft

The NY Jets were able to address quite a few roster holes in the 2023 NFL Draft. While the team didn't add any guaranteed Week 1 starters with their seven picks, they did bolster the roster with important depth.

The offensive and defensive lines were strengthened, positions like linebacker and safety were added to, and the team even managed to likely complete their running back and tight end rooms.

This year's draft was a productive one for the Jets, even if it likely won't be able to match the production of the team's 2022 draft class. That doesn't mean their work is over, however. Far from it.

Now that the Aaron Rodgers trade has been finalized and the draft is over, the Jets can finally get to work on a few late free-agency signings. Signings made at this time no longer count toward the compensatory pick formula for next year.

The Jets have already been one of the most active teams in late free agency, signing offensive lineman Billy Turner and defensive tackle Al Woods to contracts this week.

Turner adds to a suddenly stacked Jets' offensive line that might genuinely be one of the deepest position groups on the roster. As for Woods, he addresses an immediate and important need as the team's likely starting 1-tech defensive tackle.

Turner and Woods are both welcome additions, but the Jets still have a few more moves they could make before the season begins. From signing additional free agents to re-signing their own, these three moves should be priorities for the Jets moving forward.

Let's take a look at three roster moves the Jets should make following the 2023 NFL Draft.

3. The NY Jets should sign a veteran safety

The Jets' defense was one of the best units in football last season, aided by a star-studded cornerback room and a clean bill of health. The team's safeties, however, were an issue.

Lamarcus Joyner was the weakest link in the Jets' defense, and his position-mate, Jordan Whitehead, was a disappointment in his first season with the team. It was clear that help was needed this offseason.

The Jets did go out and trade for former Baltimore Ravens defensive leader Chuck Clark in a steal of a trade. Clark is penciled in as one of the team's starting safeties alongside Whitehead.

However, Clark and Whitehead occupy similar roles as traditional box safeties. The Jets don't have a prototypical free safety on their roster they can trust to play any sort of significant snaps this season.

There are a couple of intriguing options still on the free-agent market, though. Six-year NFL veteran John Johnson III and former Green Bay Packers safety Adrian Amos would both be potential upgrades for the Jets.

Johnson has started 80 games over the last six seasons, earning 80.0+ Pro Football Focus grades in three of those years. At just 27 years old, Johnson could be a relatively affordable free safety addition for the Jets.

As for Amos, he's coming off arguably the worst season of his career in 2022, but it wasn't long ago that he was one of the better safeties in football. He finished as PFF's second-ranked safety in 2017 and 2020.

There are quality safety options remaining on the open market, and the Jets would be wise to sign one of them before the start of the season.

2. The NY Jets should re-sign Kwon Alexander

The Jets did address the linebacker position in this year's draft with the addition of Western Michigan's Zaire Barnes in the sixth round. Barnes could come in and compete for the starting SAM linebacker spot in the base defense.

That said, it wouldn't be wise for the Jets to rely on any of Barnes, Jamien Sherwood, or Hamsah Nasirildeen as one of the team's three starting linebackers — especially when Kwon Alexander remains unsigned.

The Jets signed Alexander to what was essentially a veteran minimum contract last summer, and the former Pro Bowler went on to appear in all 17 games for the first time in his career.

Alexander played 49 percent of the Jets' defensive snaps as a starting linebacker in the base defense. Most importantly, this marked just the second season in Alexander's eight years in the NFL that he played more than 12 games.

The 28-year-old stayed healthy, played an important role in the Jets' defense, and more than held his own as an early-down starter. That's someone you should want to bring back.

It's unlikely that Alexander would cost much at this stage of free agency, especially given how limited his market was last year. The Jets should be able to sign Alexander to a slightly more expensive deal than the one he signed last summer.

The Jets could roll with the young linebackers on their roster, but the safer bet is to sign a veteran like Alexander. The team reportedly has interest in making it happen, so don't be surprised if this one gets done sooner rather than later.

1. The NY Jets should extend Quinnen Williams

This offseason has been the year of paydays for some of the league's top defensive tackles. Jeffrey Simmons and Daron Payne have received their extensions. Javon Hargrave signed a four-year, $84 million deal with the San Francisco 49ers in free agency.

And then on Thursday, the New York Giants handed their own star defensive tackle, Dexter Lawrence, a four-year extension worth an average of $22.5 million per year. The assumption is that Quinnen Williams should and will be next.

Williams is entering the fifth and final season of his rookie deal in 2023 and is coming off a career year that saw him named first-team All-Pro. The former third-overall pick finished with a career-high 12 sacks and 28 QB hits en route to earning his first Pro Bowl nod.

Williams was one of just four players in the entire NFL to receive a first-place vote for Defensive Player of the Year. He's legitimately one of the best players at any position in the league.

The Jets have essentially vowed to pay Williams this offseason after the 25-year-old insisted he wouldn't show up for the voluntary portion of the team's offseason program without a new contract.

Jets general manager Joe Douglas remains optimistic the two sides will get a deal done and insists that extension talks are going well. Actions speak louder than words, though.

The most important move the Jets must make this offseason is their superstar defensive lineman. They can pass on signing a safety. They can even move on without Kwon Alexander.

But under no circumstances can the Jets enter the 2023 season without giving Quinnen Williams a new contract. That should be the top priority for the organization at this time.