5 remaining free agents the NY Jets could still target

The NFL offseason is almost over, but some quality free agents are still available that the NY Jets could add. After adding Randall Cobb, Al Woods, and Billy Turner post-draft, there are still some holes on the roster, mainly at safety and linebacker.

The Jets have also started to free up some cap space by reworking Carl Lawson’s contract and could continue this with Corey Davis, Jordan Whitehead, and possibly even C.J. Mosley.

With some newly added cap flexibility, let’s look at five remaining free agents the Jets could add.

1. John Johnson III, S

After trading for Chuck Clark, it seemed like the Jets' plan at safety was set. Release Jordan Whitehead, who has a big cap hit and plays the same position as Clark, and sign someone to play Lamarcus Joyner's role. Well, a lot of free-agent safeties have already signed for relatively cheap, and the Jets passed on different options in the draft.

However, there are still a few good options left if they want to add a third reliable safety option. After Whitehead and Clark, the Jets have the likes of Tony Adams, Will Parks, Ashtyn Davis, and 2023 sixth-round pick Jarrick Bernard-Converse.

For a team that is striving to have a top-five defense, that is concerning. This makes John Johnson III the top remaining target for this Jets team.

Over his career with both the Rams and the Browns, Johnson has had success both in the box and at free safety. In 2020 with the Rams, Johnson played over 1,000 snaps and earned some impressive Pro Football Focus grades.

Johnson earned an 85.6 coverage grade, an 86.2 tackle grade, an 83.9 run-defense grade, and an overall defensive grade of 85.6. Johnson saw those grades go down when he went to Cleveland, but in a good role, Johnson could be a solid player and provide insurance in the back end for the Jets.

2. Duron Harmon, S

Similarly to Johnson, Duron Harmon is another safety option for the Jets. After having a lot of success during his time in New England, Harmon had a resurgence this past season with the Raiders. In over 1,000 snaps and over 600 coverage snaps, Hamron earned a 77.6 PFF coverage grade, his best since 2017.

Harmon has had at least two interceptions in eight of his ten NFL seasons. At 32 years old, Harmon could be a good leader for the secondary, which is still a very young unit.

3. Kwon Alexander, LB

The fan favorite on this list will be Kwon Alexander. The Jets brought in Alexander shortly before training camp last season, and there is a debate to be made that he was their second-best linebacker behind C.J. Mosley.

Alexander took a visit with the Steelers this past week, but to this point, he is still available. Similarly to the safety position, the Jets have their starters in C.J. Mosley and Quincy Williams, but after that, they have a group of players that could be hard to rely on: Jamien Sherwood, Hamsah Nasirildeen, Chazz Surratt, and 2023 sixth-round pick Zaire Barnes.

Again, for a team in the win-now position the Jets are in, it's hard to see them relying heavily on these players if one of the starters goes down.

Bringing back Alexander probably won’t cost all that much and would be a smart move for the Jets to make over the summer.

4. Deion Jones, LB

If Alexander does wind up going to the Steelers, Deion Jones could be another option at linebacker. Jones, a former Pro Bowler, struggled his last season in Atlanta as well as his lone season in Cleveland. But even as recently as 2020, he had a decent season.

In 2020, Jones earned PFF grades of 70.6 coverage grade, 65.0 tackle grade, and an overall grade of 68.7. 2020 was also his last season working with his former linebackers coach, who had been with him his whole career to that point and who happens to be the current Jets defensive coordinator, Jeff Ulbrich.

Jones could be a low-risk, high-reward signing for the Jets.

5. Matt Ioannidis, DT

Last but not least, we have Matt Ioannidis. The defensive line is probably the last spot the Jets need to address, but we know how much they love their pass rushers, and Ioannidis is a good one.

Over his seven seasons in the NFL, Ioannidis has earned a PFF pass-rush grade of over 70 five times, barely missing it this past season (69.1). Over that same time, he has racked up over 30 total pressures in five of his seven NFL seasons.

Ioannidis is just a really talented interior pass rusher to be available at this point of the year, and if the Jets have any questions about Quinnen Williams' contract or just want to add another talented pass rusher, Ioannidis could be a good addition.