5 biggest non-QB needs on the NY Jets roster this offseason

While we all wait with bated breath to see who the NY Jets will anoint as QB1 in 2023, there are a few other holes on the roster for Joe Douglas and company to address this offseason as well.

This team is much better now than when Douglas inherited it in 2019, but he still has plenty of work to do if the Jets will end the longest playoff drought in the league next year.

Let's dive into the five most obvious holes on the roster and offer some plausible suggestions on how to fix each of these needs.

1. The NY Jets need to address center

We start with the only position in which the Jets literally have zero guys under contract, center on the offensive line. Between Kevin Mawae and Nick Mangold, the Jets have been set with an elite center for nearly 20 years (1998-2016) but since then they haven't been so lucky.

After failing to get Ryan Kalil to turn back the clock in 2019, Joe Douglas signed Connor McGovern to a three-year deal in 2020 in which he played admirably in the 2020 and 2021 seasons before a surprisingly down year, despite being one of only two offensive linemen to play every game for the Jets this season.

They could try to convert one of the guards they currently have on the roster to play center — the Broncos did just that with McGovern himself when their starter fell to injury in 2018. McGovern had a very good first year as a center in 2019 and used that to secure a three-year deal with Gang Green.

Re-signing McGovern is an option but will be difficult because he is likely looking for a raise from the $9 million annually he was earning on his last deal. For a player that has been inconsistent and is turning 30 in two months, this seems like a gamble from a GM who has no room for error this offseason.

The Jets could also look elsewhere for a solution. Based on the data from Spotrac there are a few guys who could command a similar market to McGovern, but a player like Ethan Pocic (27) or Bradley Bozeman (28) offers more upside.

If not, there's always the 2023 NFL Draft. Teams have had recent success drafting starting-caliber offensive linemen on Day 2, including the Jets, who received a great effort from Max Mitchell at offensive tackle when he was thrown into the fire last year.

This is the cheapest option, and for Joe Douglas, a former lineman himself who rose to prominence as a talent scout, this could be the absolute best option possible. If he is confident in his scouting team, this would give the Jets an affordable young center on the roster for the next few years.

2. The NY Jets need to address offensive tackle

Perhaps the most universally agreed upon need, offensive tackle is a tricky one because Douglas has tried to do something to fix this position every single year of his tenure, and yet it's still a position of need every single year.

Unlike the center situation where there are a few reasonable outcomes, this solution is much more clear-cut: the Jets must draft a tackle with their first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Four offensive tackles with super high ceilings were drafted in the first round of 2020, and the Jets drafted the only one of them to play in zero games since September 2021.

Douglas must right this wrong in 2023, coincidentally another draft in which there are four tackles predicted to go in the first round. The two most popular names are Paris Johnson Jr. and Broderick Jones, but with the track record of the previous Douglas/Saleh drafts, it's fair to trust that if they have another tackle on their board above them, it's for good reason.

But one tackle isn't enough! On the roster currently, the Jets have Mekhi Becton, Max Mitchell, and Duane Brown as tackles. None of those guys are guaranteed to suit up for even one snap next season, all for various reasons.

Becton has played 13 out of 50 possible career games (26%). It's okay to be optimistic that his weight loss will lead to the first full season of his career, but this should not be the expectation.

Mitchell's season ended for personal reasons, and there is no timetable for a return. Brown, who played all year with a torn rotator cuff, turns 39 this year and should probably either get that fixed or retire — either of which will cause him to miss the season.

So, step one is to draft that foundational tackle for the next 10-15 years that they thought they were getting in Mekhi Becton. If that 13th overall pick is traded (Aaron Rodgers to NY?), foundational tackles can still be found early in Round 2. Step two is to sign at least one more tackle to guarantee two starting tackles.

Douglas's decision to let Morgan Moses walk for pennies last year looms large over the situation here. The Baltimore Ravens signed him to a very sensible three-year, $15 million deal, and Moses proceeded to produce consistently and play much better (and in more games) than any of the Jets' actual tackles this year.

My suggestion? Try to find the next "Morgan Moses" signing, trying to get a guy the Jets can be confident in if he has to start every game and shouldn't cost the Jets more than $5 million annually to sign.

Re-sign Cedric Ogbuehi for the vet minimum again, and now there are three tackles (rookie, the "new Moses", Ogbuehi) who can play NFL football.

If Becton ends up crushing it this season, that will be a huge plus. It helps to know that Alijah Vera-Tucker can play either tackle if needed. Mitchell could be good to go at any time, but the Jets desperately need that young foundational piece in 2023 that they can rely upon beyond this season.

Relying on Becton to be one of the top three tackles would be a grave mistake, even if he does unpredictably play all 17 games, at least he'll be doing so with another young bookend talent on the other side.

If he misses time, then the position is secured — it takes all the pressure off of Becton to be that cornerstone piece they thought he was. Draft a stud and sign a vet.

3. The NY Jets need to address safety

There are five safeties on the roster this year but zero of them are coming into the 2023 season with any semblance of even above-average play this past season.

Jordan Whitehead was one of the biggest disappointments of the season, finishing 47th in overall PFF grade amongst 89 qualified safeties.

Lamarcus Joyner only made $1.4 million last year, but one could argue he was overpaid too, as he finished 71st in overall PFF grade out of those 89 safeties.

If you watched the games, it should come as no surprise to you that coverage was an issue, as Joyner was 75th in the NFL in PFF coverage grade, despite his team-leading three interceptions.

Whitehead was better in coverage (30th out of 90) but neither were big factors in the run, where Whitehead and Joyner ranked 54th and 59th respectively.

Due to the timing and size of Whitehead's contract, it seems likely that he will be back next year, and the soon-to-be 26-year-old can try to prove that last year was an outlier to what has otherwise been a promising career.

Joyner, on the other hand, is a free agent who I don't expect to be re-signed. The Jets don't appear to have a viable replacement currently on the roster, but perhaps re-signing Will Parks is an indication that they know something we don't.

My proposed solution here is to draft another Day 2 weapon, this time at safety, to develop into the exact type of player that fits Robert Saleh's scheme.

Saleh actually did this fairly nicely in his first draft, molding college safety Michael Carter II into one of the best slot corners in the league, and converting a few other safeties into linebackers.

With $7 million already allocated to Whitehead, I just don't see Joe Douglas spending the necessary dollars to get a quality talent to play a position that isn't considered a 'premium position' in football. I actually expected them to draft a safety last year, but better late than never.

4. The NY Jets need to address linebacker

In my opinion, this is the biggest "Fool's Gold" position on the entire roster. C.J. Mosley returned to the Pro Bowl for the first time in years and both Quincy Williams and Kwon Alexander had several bone-crushing hits that made their way to several highlight reels throughout the season.

PFF was less impressed, awarding Mosley, Williams, and Alexander the 31st, 62nd, and 44th best overall grades out of 81 qualified linebackers. Too many times we saw costly mistakes from this unit as they gave up huge plays and even forfeited the win.

Mosley has a tremendous head on his shoulders and knows how to read offenses, which is why he's been captain of the unit for years now. Unfortunately, he will be 31 next season, and he clearly isn't as spry as he once was.

That's why, despite leading the team in tackles (by a large margin), being 24th in the league in run defense according to PFF, and earning a Pro Bowl nod, he's still a liability in coverage.

It is a losing formula to have him be the best coverage linebacker on the team, but in 2022, that was exactly the case, as Williams (57th out of 71) and Alexander (43rd out of 71) offered very little help in that area.

It's probably early to really hone in on specific draft prospects before the NFL Combine and such, but I'd be lying if I said I haven't thought about how Arkansas linebacker Drew Sanders would look in Gotham Green.

His ability to defend the pass would put him tops on the team, but he's no slouch in the run game either, with 9.5 sacks and three forced fumbles this season for the Razorbacks.

If not, then this is one where I'd strongly suggest restructuring Mosley's contract and freeing up enough money to sign another veteran linebacker.

It's tough to teach an old dog new tricks, and while Williams has improved, it would just be easier to sign someone who has proven ability in coverage than hope he eventually picks it up to a high level.

It would be unacceptable to trot out this same trio next season, as the hole in the middle of the field was the main reason culprit that held back the Jets' defense from being one of the true elites in the league.

By the end of the year, tight end after tight end kept gashing them in the middle. It's time to correct that issue with better coverage at LB (in addition to that young moldable safety).

5. The NY Jets need to address wide receiver

I could've gone with the defensive tackle position, but depending on how they feel about Denzel Mims, the Jets might only have two viable receiver options on the whole roster. This is yet another position that Joe Douglas has tried to solve every single offseason that he's been with the Jets.

He signed Breshad Perriman and drafted Denzel Mims in 2020, signed Corey Davis and drafted Elijah Moore in 2021, then drafted Garrett Wilson with the 11th overall pick in 2022. Of all of those attempts, only Wilson and Moore figure to have prominent roles for the foreseeable Jets' future, and even Moore's role was very much in doubt this season.

Corey Davis is an obvious cut candidate who hasn't produced a fraction of what he's been paid. 29th highest salary among receivers, yet his 536 receiving yards rank 59th among his peers — astonishingly up from his 492 receiving yards last year that ranked 68th among receivers.

Mims is the wild card who looked good as a rookie in 2020 before being demoted multiple times under former offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur.

Like Davis, he's a difference-maker in the run game and serves as the team's largest active receiver, but if we mentioned Davis' yardage totals, we can note that Mims's total career yardage is 676. He's far from a proven commodity at this point in his career.

Given that need for a 'proven commodity,' this is the one and only position on this list where I wouldn't even entertain the idea of drafting a rookie. Depending on what is done at QB, there are really two schools of thought to follow.

If picks are traded to acquire their star QB, then look at the free agency pool to get a young, big-bodied receiver such as Allen Lazard, (27 years old, 6-foot-5) or D.J. Chark (26 years old, 6-foot-4). If no picks are traded, this would mean a lesser QB was acquired, and it would be worth considering making a deal for top-tier talent.

Acquiring a premium receiver would drastically impact the way the entire NFL views the offense, and my colleague Justin Fried discussed multiple trade scenarios that could send DeAndre Hopkins to New York. The impact of pulling off a deal of this magnitude cannot be overstated — the Jets would have a top-three receiver trio at worst.

There are even rumors surrounding consistent Pro Bowler Keenan Allen, and as we've seen with the Cleveland Browns' surprise trade for Amari Cooper last year, there's always a price to be had for a premium receiver in the league.

Can Joe Douglas actually get a deal like that done? Tyreek Hill was a failure. A.J. Brown and Deebo Samuel were both smoke and mirrors. If the Jets can finally strike gold and find themselves in a situation where there is some sort of debate about who WR1 is, (Wilson/Hopkins, Wilson/Allen, Wilson/Adams), that makes the life of that lesser QB significantly easier.

But of course, no one will complain if it's Aaron Rodgers, Derek Carr, or Lamar Jackson at the helm with Garrett Wilson and Lazard/Chark on the outsides and Moore being that shifty slot stud we all know him to be.

Will any of these scenarios play out, or are the Jets destined to give the incumbent Wilson-Mims-Moore trio a try?