NY Jets: 4 excellent players to target at the trade deadline

The NFL trade deadline is quickly approaching and will be here before teams know it. With the clock ticking as some teams prepare to make a playoff run, while others, including the NY Jets, are dedicated to focusing on the future, general managers around the league will surely have a busy week ahead.

The deadline is 4 pm on Tuesday, November 2nd.

Now, the Jets aren't exactly eyeing a deep playoff run. A combination of struggles at quarterback, offensive production, play calling, and most recently a string of injuries have all but ruled out the team's hopes for a postseason push.

The writing is on the wall for the Jets to be sellers at the deadline, but that doesn't mean nothing could be done in way of bringing extra talent in.

The team is absolutely building towards the future, and fans were well aware of this coming into the season. Whether they're happy about where the team is at the moment or not is another topic entirely. Still, the Jets should be doing everything they can to help Zach Wilson's development.

And following a painful blowout against the New England Patriots that was only made worse by the loss of Zach Wilson for some period of time, having him return to an upgraded squad would be the perfect gift for the quarterback of the future.

So instead of focusing on who won't be on the team after November 2nd, we're going to take a look at who might be the next players to wear green and white.

1. NY Jets Trade Target: Evan Engram, TE, NY Giants

Once thought of as the missing piece of the Giants' puzzle, Evan Engram is now due for an ugly, sloppy, and well overdue divorce from the likes of the Giants.

He's struggled to garner attention in the offense this season. It might be best for both parties to just quit while they're behind instead of waiting for the time to run out on Engram's contract.

While technically in the same market and same building, the Jets could prove to be a change of scenery for Engram that would be a win-win for both sides.

The tight end room for the last decade has been atrocious for the Jets, and Engram has shown that he does possess the ability to be a valuable asset at the tight end position.

Engram's best season came in his rookie year, amassing over 700 yards and six touchdowns through the air. If he could replicate that for the Jets, he'd immediately be the best tight end on the roster.

In fact, even if he was the same player the Giants have currently, he is still light years ahead of Ryan Griffin.

If it turns out that Engram is just not built for the New York market, then other tight end targets that could be of interest could be Austin Hooper, David Njoku, or even Eric Ebron.

But if the youth movement is in full effect for the Jets, then Evan Engram should be a player on their radar. If the Giants are set to move on from Engram before their relationship could be tainted even further, it might be best to pull the trigger before the deadline.

2. NY Trade Target: Austin Blythe, OL, Kansas City Chiefs

While it isn't exactly a sexy position to upgrade, the Jets have not completed their rebuild of the offensive line. Granted, it's been serviceable this season as opposed to unwatchable, but the interior has been making just about everybody turn their heads in shame.

Connor McGovern has not been terrible this year and has, in fact, improved, but his pass protection is still in need of improvement.

The main issue comes with Greg Van Roten. Van Roten has been the weakest link on the offensive line, making the rest of the position group look like the Cowboys of the 90s.

Austin Blythe is an interior offensive lineman who has been cast aside in way of a pleasant surprise pick in Creed Humphrey. He's been inactive thanks to Humphrey's production and could be a relatively cheap addition to hopefully wash the awful taste of Van Roten out of the Jets' mouth.

It's been the interior line that hasn't helped the running game much, meaning that it's harder to sell the play-action — and in turn, makes life harder for Zach Wilson.

If the Jets are looking to pay premium for an upgrade on the line, they could send a considerable package to the Cowboys for the other Connor McGovern out of Penn State.

However, if they want to put a bandage on the bleeding coming from the interior, Blythe getting out of purgatory might be a victory on both ends.

3. NY Jets Trade Target: Jaquiski Tartt, S, San Francisco 49ers

After the brutal beatdown the Jets sustained at the hand of the Patriots, the defense should certainly be an area to upgrade. The Marcus Maye rumors aside, the Jets still have a big question mark at the safety position.

Much to everyone's misfortune and disappointment, Ashtyn Davis isn't really panning out well. Bringing in outside help could be an idea to explore, considering the alternative is giving up massive gashes on defense every other play.

Jaquiski Tartt was a member of the San Francisco 49ers defense when Robert Saleh was the head coach, as well as when the team came close to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.

While Tartt will likely not be back with San Francisco anyway, it couldn't hurt for a low-risk, high-reward trade to bring him in and see if he has a place on this defense.

He's a bit older than Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh would likely prefer, but having a veteran presence on the defense couldn't hurt. Especially when we saw how the defense clearly missed C.J. Mosley this past week.

It's never a bad idea to build a roster for the future, but a coaching staff shouldn't be opposed to bringing in players who know the game.

Tartt played a role in Saleh's killer defense with the 49ers. and since he would know the system, he would be playing to his strengths yet again.

4. NY Jets Trade Target: Kyle Fuller, CB, Denver Broncos

Another player that the Jets should have tried a bit harder to pursue in the offseason, Kyle Fuller hasn't had the impact with the Denver Broncos that most people thought he would have.

With the drafting of Patrick Surtain II in the first round, the notion around the league would be that Denver would have a truly lockdown secondary.

However, that isn't exactly the case. Kyle Fuller has been keeping the Broncos' bench warm for the last two weeks, meaning that the dream duo of Fuller and Surtain is likely dead before the deadline.

You could chalk it up to poor play, or just head coach Vic Fangio pointing fingers to help save his job in Denver.

The hardest part about trading for Fuller would be taking on the money still due to him. And the fact that such a contract can't find its way onto the field is also a bit unnerving.

But the secondary on the Jets is heavily inexperienced. Saleh and Douglas have repeatedly expressed their faith in a youthful team defending the pass.

That faith should be in question.

It's one thing to be dedicated to your players and have confidence in them. The problem comes when that dedication turns into stubbornness.

Making these trades likely won't right the ship for some miracle playoff push. However, helping the development of your players should be the highest priority for both head coach and general manager.

It's likely the Jets will get busy come the trade deadline. It just depends on if they will be buyers or sellers.