NY Jets: 4 more free agents who would improve the roster

The NY Jets made quite a few additions to their roster in the offseason, as was always going to be the case following a disastrous 2-14 campaign a year ago.

The coaching staff was overhauled, the roster was revamped, and the entire organization has a new-look feel to it.

With a new head coach, quarterback, and numerous other pieces on both sides of the ball, hopes are high that the Jets will improve drastically both in 2021 and beyond.

However, it's not as if the entire roster was fixed in one offseason.

This is a team that lost its first 13 games last season, and while some of that was due to a coaching staff in over its head, the Jets' roster was undoubtedly one of the worst in football.

As such, there are plenty of holes remaining on the current roster.

With roughly $25 million in cap space, the Jets have plenty of money to play with if they want to make another addition or two before the start of the 2021 season.

Last week, we took a look at five free agents who would instantly improve the Jets' roster. Today, we explore four more players who, while they might not be likely additions, would certainly improve the current state of the team.

4. The NY Jets could sign CB Nickell Robey-Coleman

The Jets did an excellent job addressing a variety of positions this offseason, but the one position that remains a major question mark is cornerback.

The team didn't make a single offseason addition (apart from special-teams ace Justin Hardee) until Day 3 of the 2021 NFL Draft when they selected three cornerbacks in a span of two rounds.

The likes of Jason Pinnock, Michael Carter II, and Brandin Echols will join an inexperienced unit featuring the returning Bryce Hall, Blessuan Austin, and Javelin Guidry.

It's an inexperienced unit, one that could use a veteran addition. If the Jets are looking to bring in a veteran nickel to compete with Guidry, Carter, and even Elijah Campbell, one player who could be on their radar is Nickell Robey-Coleman.

Robey-Coleman has been a rock-solid nickel corner in the NFL for quite some time and will be entering his ninth professional season in 2021, assuming he's signed.

After ranking in the top-17 cornerbacks in football by Pro Football Focus in three consecutive seasons, Robey-Coleman took a major step back in 2020 finishing with a very poor 51.1 grade. Nearly identical to that of Blessuan Austin, for reference.

As such, it's no surprise to see that the 29-year-old remains unsigned, although it's likely he'll sign on with some team prior to the start of the season.

Robey-Coleman has years of excellent play at the slot corner position and, even though he's coming off a career-worst year, would be a worthwhile addition for cheap.

You could never have too much competition, and bringing in a veteran like Robey-Coleman could help further solidify an inexperienced unit.

3. The NY Jets could sign LB Kwon Alexander

Just as the Jets are going young at cornerback, they seem intent on doing so at linebacker as well. At least, at weakside linebacker.

C.J. Mosley will return after what has essentially been two years away from the game. He'll look to live up to his massive contract in what will hopefully be his first full season with the organization.

The Jets also signed former Detroit Lions draft bust Jarrad Davis, who will take over the SAM role in Robert Saleh's defense while also serving as the primary backup MIKE.

As for the weakside role? That remains undetermined.

At the moment, it's expected to be a three-way battle between the oft-injured Blake Cashman and Day 3 picks Jamien Sherwood and Hamsah Nasirildeen.

The Jets are hoping that Sherwood or Nasirildeen could step up and win the job, but they could certainly use a veteran like Kwon Alexander to sure up the position.

Alexander has experience playing under Saleh as he did so in San Francisco and the athletic linebacker excelled in his system — when he was on the field.

Unfortunately, injuries have taken their toll and Alexander is coming off a torn Achilles he suffered in December of last year. At the time of writing, he is hoping to be healthy for Week 1.

It's unclear if Alexander will still be the same player after his injuries, but he's worth the gamble at a small price.

If he's even 75 percent of the player he once was, he'd easily be the best weakside linebacker on the roster and someone who could play in the nickel if they don't trust Davis in coverage.

2. The NY Jets could sign CB Darqueze Dennard

The pool of free-agent cornerbacks remains the deepest on the market, but most of the attention has gone to the likes of Steven Nelson and Richard Sherman — understandably so.

But if the Jets don't want to spend on either Nelson or Sherman, they could likely save a little money and still make a valuable veteran addition in Darqueze Dennard.

A former first-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2014, Dennard hasn't quite lived up to his expectations coming out of college as the Jim Thorpe Award winner. But he's put together a solid career nonetheless.

After six seasons with the Bengals, Dennard spent the 2020 season with the Atlanta Falcons starting six of eight games while dealing with a hamstring injury. However, in his limited playing time, he played well.

Dennard finished with a PFF grade of 66.0 that ranked 45th in the NFL. In fact, that was his lowest grade since the 2016 season — he's been an under-the-radar good cornerback for quite some time now.

The Jets could really use a veteran addition on the boundary and Dennard could be someone to challenge Blessuan Austin for one of the starting outside cornerback jobs.

He's not Steven Nelson or Richard Sherman, but Darqueze Dennard is the next-best cornerback option remaining on the open market.

1. The NY Jets could sign LB K.J. Wright

Back to the linebacker position with one of the best overall free agents at any position still on the market in longtime Seattle Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright.

The Seahawks planned for the future and looked to replace Wright following a knee injury he suffered in 2018. However, even at age 31 (he turns 32 in July), he's still playing some of the best football of his career.

Wright has started all 32 games since his knee injury and has missed just one game since 2014 outside of the 2018 season. And in 2020, he put together arguably one of the best years of his career.

The former Pro Bowler finished as PFF's seventh-best linebacker this past season with a stellar coverage grade of 79.2 that ranked sixth at his position.

Wright is still performing at a very high level, and it's even led to rumors that Seattle could look to bring him back despite plans to move on and give snaps to the younger Jordyn Brooks.

While it's unlikely the Jets are interested in bringing Wright aboard, they absolutely should be. For starters, he too has experience playing under Saleh as the two crossed paths in Seattle.

He'd provide a major boost to the Jets' linebacker corps and allow Jamien Sherwood and Hamsah Nasirildeen not to be thrust into a starting role right away.

The Jets' linebacker depth is painfully thin at the moment. If Mosley goes does, Davis likely slides over to MIKE. But who plays SAM in that case or if Davis suffers an injury?

Del'Shawn Phillips? Noah Dawkins? The options are slim.

Wright has experience playing both SAM and WILL and would immediately become one of the most accomplished players on the Jets' defense.

Few free agents would improve the Jets' roster more than K.J. Wright.