NY Jets news: Robert Saleh not at the NFL Combine, free agent safety targets

The 2023 NFL Combine is set to begin this Tuesday as 32 NFL teams will travel to Indianapolis to set their sights on the top prospects in this year's draft class. The NY Jets won't be sending a full party, however.

The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt reported on Saturday that Jets head coach Robert Saleh will not be making the trip to Indianapolis for the Combine. Rosenblatt said that a few Jets coaches will be in attendance, but they'll only be there "to help with combine drills" and they will return the same day.

General manager Joe Douglas, however, will be in Indianapolis, and he's expected to speak to the media on Tuesday. This marks the second consecutive year that the Jets have not sent their coaching staff to the NFL Combine.

It's becoming an increasingly common trend, as the Green Bay Packers and other organizations will be doing the same this year. The Jets believe that their coaching staff's time would be better used working on other things.

Other NY Jets news:

Safety is a deep position in free agency this year

The Jets absolutely need to find a way to upgrade at safety this offseason, and the 2023 free agency class presents a golden opportunity to do so. Joe Caporoso of Turn on the Jets iterated that exact notion on Saturday.

This year's crop of free agents isn't considered to be a particularly strong one, but one position that has its fair share of notable names is safety. The likes of Jordan Poyer, Jimmie Ward, and Jessie Bates fall in the top tier of free-agent safeties this offseason.

Meanwhile, others like C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Adrian Amos, Devin McCourty, Juan Thornhill, Taylor Rapp, Julain Love, and Vonn Bell would all be upgrades over Lamarcus Joyner.

Expect the Jets to sign Joyner's replacement in free agency next month. It will likely be one of the above names.

Jets bolster OL in The Draft Wire's mock draft

It's no secret that the Jets need to address their offensive line this offseason, and many believe the 2023 NFL Draft provides the perfect medium to do so. That's certainly what The Draft Wire's Luke Easterling seems to believe.

In Easterling's latest two-round mock draft, he has the Jets selecting Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones in the first round and Minnesota center John Michael Schmitz in the second round.

The Jets actually traded down from pick No. 13 to No. 16 in Easterling's mock in exchange for a fourth-round pick and a 2024 Day 3 pick. They still landed one of the top offensive tackles in this year's class.

Drafting a new starting left tackle and the best center in this class would be a very appealing way for the Jets to use their two top-50 picks.