5 under-the-radar fits for the NY Jets in 2022 free agency

5. NY Jets target: Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, EDGE, Los Angeles Rams

Finding edge rushers is always challenging for NFL teams. You can never have enough of them. Franchises will commit top draft capital and cap money to try and address the position. The Jets will undoubtedly be one of those teams this offseason.

The team will look to add more pass rushers through the draft, free agency, and the trade market. The lack of a consistent pass rush, especially from the outside, has been a sore spot for New York for ages.

Despite the genuine possibility that the Jets will address edge rusher in April's draft and the wishful hope that 2021 prized free agent Carl Lawson returns to form after suffering a season-ending injury last summer, the Jets still need to hedge their bets and acquire as many edge rushers as possible.

If for nothing else, then to improve the team's depth and versatility. A year ago, the Jets traded for Shaq Lawson in an attempt to strengthen the team's rotation upfront after the other Lawson went down. 

Ogbonnia "Obo" Okoronkwo is an intriguing under-the-radar free-agent option for the Jets. Only 26-years-old, the former Oklahoma standout has been a rotational player in the NFL for Los Angeles.

This is primarily because of the amount of talent the Rams have had to play in front of him, like Von Miller and Leonard Floyd, etc. But the 6-foot-2 253-pound Okoronkwo has flashed in a reserve role, despite dealing with many injuries since entering the league as a fifth-round pick in 2018.

In 2021, despite dealing with injuries and registering only two sacks, Pro Football Focus gave Okorornkwo a career-best 79.2 overall grade. 'Obo' has 25 quarterback hurries on fewer than 250 pass-rush snaps since 2020, and that small sample size is intriguing enough to take a flyer on him. 

The Jets have already had success in the past, picking from the Rams tree for defensive line talent — see John Franklin-Myers, who slipped through the cracks and fell into New York's hands, simply because of how stacked the Rams' roster is.

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo is a buy-low candidate with some high-end upside who will fly under the radar. In the NFL, he's played as a stand-up linebacker in the 3-4, but he could be freed up to put his hand in the dirt and rush from the defensive end spot exclusively with the Jets.