Ranking the NY Jets biggest offensive issues

1. Joe Douglas/Woody Johnson

This might be controversial for some readers, but let me explain. 

We all watched Zach Wilson fail last year. Statistically, he was the worst quarterback in the NFL by far, outplayed by career journeymen backups Mike White and Joe Flacco. Flacco subsequently retired, and Mike White has barely touched the field this year.

In an all-time low, former CFL player Chris Streveler relieved Zach Wilson in primetime last year and improved the quality of the offense. It was shocking to watch in real time. It's important to note that Streveler physically could not throw the ball farther than 30 yards downfield and still operated a better offense than Wilson.

The point here is this- the ownership, general manager, coaches, fans, and players alike all knew Wilson was terrible and could not run an NFL-caliber offense. They even decided to trade massive amounts of assets for Aaron Rodgers, knowing that Wilson could not be the guy.

But they never addressed the fact that a 40-year-old quarterback, playing behind a shaky offensive line, might get hurt. Did anyone expect it four plays in? No. But Wilson was most likely going to be relied upon at some point. This is the result of that decision.

Additionally, looking at the wider offense, Douglas, now four years in, has still failed to address the offensive line. Once again, the Jets have arguably the worst unit in the NFL, with career backups being thrust into starting roles out of position.

I fully understand that injuries can not be foreseen, but even before the injuries, Duane Brown was a turnstile at left tackle and embarrassed himself against Micah Parsons.

Laken Tomlinson has allowed an egregious amount of pressure this year and has been one of the worst NFL guards all year long. Becton has still struggled after a positive start, and don’t get me started about Billy Turner. 

Once Alijah Vera-Tucker goes down again, the entire offense collapses. It can’t be like this after four years of a GM who believes in “building in the trenches.”

He also made no moves at the deadline, knowing that the line needed help, especially when the best guard on the trade block was available for just a sixth-round pick.

At receiver, the Jets have maybe the worst group of talent outside of Garrett Wilson. Allen Lazard does nothing besides drop balls, Mecole Hardman was a bust, Randall Cobb is the worst statistical receiver in the league, and the rest of the group is undrafted rookies or career backups that lead the league in drop rate.

Once again, Douglas did nothing to address the shortage of talent in the offseason or at the deadline, especially once Corey Davis retired. I understand he called about Davante Adams and Mike Evans, but those were always long shots.

What about Hunter Renfrow, any of the Washington Commanders' options who were in selling mode, even someone from the rival New England Patriots who are really, really bad? 

Douglas and Woody Johnson put all of their eggs in the Aaron Rodgers basket this year. The expectation was Rodgers would not only fix the quarterback issue but also cover all of the other holes on the offensive side of the ball.

Once he went down, they all became glaring issues, and Douglas has failed to address any of them. He deserves a lion’s share of the blame for that.