Jets Audacious Offseason Additions Building An Offense Made Of Glass
This euphoric feeling the New York Jets and their fans are enjoying now must be familiar. Maybe it's because they've been here before, seen this before.
The New York Jets are claiming something of an off-season championship again. And it's impressive if you're watching their audacious moves starring big names. But some around the NFL are dubious.
Because the Jets may be repeating mistakes.
On Tuesday, the Jets lit up social media with the signing of free agent receiver Mike Williams to a one-year contract worth a maximum of $15 million.
Mike Williams Stats Speak Loudly
Williams, at his best, is a top draw receiver, as his 20.4 yards per reception in 2019, and his 76 catches for 1,146 yards and 9 TDs in 2021 blare. Even at his mere mortal level he's a more-than-solid No. 2 receiver the Jets can deploy in addition to No. 1 receiver and emerging star Garrett Wilson.
So, yes, big addition with big potential.
And that's only the latest move the Jets have made to infuse new blood into an offense that was too often comatose in 2023.
The Jets had earlier in free agency added starting left tackle Tryon Smith after he served 13 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. And the Cowboys' loss is supposed to be a big gain for New York quarterback Aaron Rodgers because Smith at his best is one of the NFL's top blindside protectors.
ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 14: Tyron Smith #77 of the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Tyron Smith, Tyrod Taylor Bring Jets Vet Help
There's also the insurance policy of signing Tyrod Taylor as the backup quarterback. Rodgers, as we know, needed his backup to step forward last season, but Zach Wilson wasn't up to the task. Taylor is different. He's a former NFL starter. He's a more than capable backup. He's a professional in every sense.
The Jets weren't done rebuilding their offensive line because they also previously traded for Baltimore Ravens right tackle Morgan Moses in what was effectively an exchange of fourth-round picks plus a later pick to the Ravens.
And, yes, the Jets also added John Simpson to start at guard.
So the Jets this off-season have rebuilt their offensive line, added a known quality weapon on the outside, and given themselves insurance against another Rodgers disappointment.
Jets fans, some of whom are former players with day jobs as NFL analysts, were all sorts of giddy on Tuesday.
Jets Fans Celebrate Additions
But what about the rest of the NFL? What's the league's reaction to the Jets looking like they're addressing needs and building something to be reckoned with this off-season?
"Check your history because you asked me this question last year," one AFC director of pro personnel texted OutKick on Tuesday evening. "My answer then is the same as now – wait until dec. or jan. Their lineup will look different then."
This is where the off-season championship celebration comes to a crossroads. Because what the Jets have done this off-season does indeed look promising. But it presupposes the Jets stay healthy.
And as we saw last year, the Jets struggled to do that. And like last year, the Jets are relying on players with injury histories to make them competitive.
Wait, no. That's wrong.
The Jets, more than last year, are relying on players with injury histories to make them competitive.
The point is inarguable.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 23: Mike Williams #81 of the Los Angeles Chargers walks off the field after an injury during the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at SoFi Stadium on October 23, 2022 in Inglewood, California. The Los Angeles Chargers lost 23-37. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Mike Williams Often Injured With Chargers
Rodgers is the hope of the franchise again in 2024 as he was in 2023 for all of four snaps until his left achilles' tendon ruptured in the season opener. Rodgers is 40 years old and coming back from that season-ending injury.
Williams, the big addition on Tuesday? He didn't make it out of last season's first month before tearing his ACL. He played only three games.
Williams comes with a long injury history. He couldn't play his rookie year in 2017 until October after he herniated a disc in rookie minicamp. He also had a bone bruise in his right knee that year that cost him playing time.
He battled back issues in 2019 and 2020. And he missed time with ankle and other nagging issues in 2022.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - AUGUST 28: New York Giants quarterback Tyrod Taylor (2) is injured during the first quarter of the National Football League game between the New York Jets and the New York Giants on August 28, 2022 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Taylor Struggled To Stay Healthy With Giants
On its own, the addition of one player coming off an injury or carrying an injury history is not significant. But Smith comes with an injury history that limited him to 17 total games over three seasons in 2020-2022. Taylor comes with an injury history that New Yorkers saw first hand last year when he played with the Giants. Moses struggled with injuries at times last year, which cost him three games.
Add this. Those additions are being made to a unit in which guard Alijah Vera-Tucker has missed 22 of a possible 34 games the past two seasons, running back Breece Hall suffered a knee injury that prematurely ended his rookie season in 2022, and center Joe Tippmann battled thigh and ankle injuries his rookie year.
All those injuries eventually paint a picture.
It's a portrait of an offense seemingly made of glass.
This is the part of the column where Jets fans have me escorted out of MetLife Stadium by Fireman Ed for hating on their beloved team. Except this isn't hate. It's a dispassionate recounting of facts. Facts Jets general manager Joe Douglas perhaps discounts as bad luck.
The problem is Douglas has discounted facts as bad luck before and suffered the consequences.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - DECEMBER 22: Duane Brown #71 of the New York Jets walks onto the field against the Jacksonville Jaguars at MetLife Stadium on December 22, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
The Duane Brown-Mekhi Becton Lesson
Last season, Douglas and the Jets penciled in Duane Brown as the starting left tackle. That seemed fine except for the fact Brown was recovering from surgery to fix a torn rotator cuff. At 38 years old.
Brown started all of three games.
Douglas and the Jets also put faith in chronically injured Mekhi Becton. They guessed he would not only stay healthy but play well even if he wasn't likely to be 100 percent. They believed this, despite the fact they knew Becton couldn't practice every day, was often playing through some sort of pain and had rarely in the past shown the ability to play well with pain.
This space made it clear in August 2023 that using this plan to protect the club's 39-year-old quarterback was a disaster in the making. And, sure enough, it was.
Well, there's no such prediction of doom in New York's 2024 plan on offense except to say this: Players with injury histories don't suddenly stay healthier as they get older.
So celebrate the big off-season additions and ignore the durability concerns now. But the rest of the NFL knows December and January are coming.