NY Jets: Carl Lawson signing named best move of the offseason

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Carl Lawson / Sam Greene via Imagn Content Services,

The NY Jets have high expectations for defensive end Carl Lawson in his first season with the team. After all, there's a reason why they'll be paying him an average of $15 million over the next three years.

They believe that Lawson could finally end the franchise's decade-plus-long search for a game-changing edge rusher. Not since the days of John Abraham have the Jets had a pass rusher as talented as Lawson.

The Jets did plenty to upgrade their organization this offseason. From the coaching staff overhaul to a change at the quarterback position, the team looks completely different than it did a year ago.

But perhaps the team's best move of the entire offseason was the signing of Lawson. That's the sentiment shared by Connor Hughes of The Athletic who identified the Lawson signing as the best move of the Jets' offseason.

Was the Carl Lawson the best move of the NY Jets offseason?

A fourth-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2017 NFL Draft, Lawson broke out in 2020 and established himself as one of the most disruptive pass rushers in the entire NFL.

His 64 pressures were good for fourth among all edge defenders while his 84.9 Pro Football Focus pass-rush grade ranked eighth in the league. Ignore his sack numbers — Lawson was a force in 2020.

And just one glance at a Bengals game would tell you that.

The Jets hope that Lawson can turn some of those pressures into sacks this season and continue to be the top-tier talent he was in Cincinnati.

Without a doubt, the addition of Lawson, who many believe was one of the best overall free agents on the open market this offseason, was an exciting, impactful signing.

But was it the best move the Jets made this offseason? You could certainly argue that it was.

You could also insist that the decision to move on from Adam Gase and replace him with Robert Saleh was the team's best move, although that one was more of an easy, obvious decision.

The same could be said for the decision to replace Sam Darnold with Zach Wilson. Although much like the Saleh hire, it's better to judge that decision in a few years' time.

One thing's for sure, though — Carl Lawson has a chance to be the Jets' most impactful offseason addition this year.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.