NY Jets: Carl Lawson named the team's 'best-kept secret'

The NY Jets made a number of additions this offseason, but the player who has a chance to make the biggest impact in 2021 is defensive end Carl Lawson.

Lawson was signed to a hefty three-year, $45 million deal in the offseason with the hope that he will provide the Jets with the best pass rusher they've had in decades.

However, despite his impressive play and now large contract, Lawson isn't exactly a household name around the league just yet.

Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report recently listed the "best-kept secret" for each NFL team and, somewhat surprisingly, Lawson was the Jets' representative.

Is Carl Lawson really the NY Jets' best-kept secret?

Lawson may not be as well-known around the NFL as the likes of Khalil Mack or Myles Garrett, but he's hardly an unknown.

The former fourth-round pick finished top-five in pressures among all edge rushers in the NFL with a whopping 64 in 16 games this past season. He also led the league in QB knockdowns with 27 and tallied an additional 32 QB hits.

Lawson was quite literally one of the best pass rushers in football last year, and the Jets paid him as such. His sack numbers won't blow you away as he finished with 5.5 in 2021 — and perhaps that's why he's considered for this list.

Lawson also had the misfortune of playing in Cincinnati, hardly a place where stars are born. And the fact that he had started just three career games before his true breakout campaign in 2020 likely didn't do him any favors.

Still, it might be a bit of a stretch to call a player who just received a contract valued at $15 million per year a "secret."

There were likely better candidates for this spot such as elite run-stuffing nose tackle Folorunso Fatukasi who is certainly more unknown around NFL circles than Lawson is.

Nonetheless, Lawson will be looking to garner more national attention this season and live up to his contract. Perhaps his first double-digit sack campaign and a trip to the Pro Bowl could be on the horizon.

This offseason proved that the secret is out on Carl Lawson. He's one of the best edge rushers in football, and his market indicated that the NFL was well aware of that.