By Dom C.
With the NFL off-season in full swing and the NY Jets taking root in OTA’s, it is evident that the 2022 season is inching closer and closer. Isn’t that a beautiful thing?
To date, it’s hard to say anything negative about the journey Joe Douglas has brought us on since the disappointing 2021 season came to an end. It was one that will go down in Jets history for sure.
We hit free agency with all guns blazing and signed some big names. We re-signed some of our own free agents and we said heartfelt goodbyes to some of the players that were cut.
Our quarterback got “thick” in the off-season and went on a nationwide tour teaming up with all of our wide receivers. Muscle mass and team chemistry – I can’t think of two better things to build in the off-season.
Our general manager worked insistently through a cold, hard winter preparing for the draft which culminated in a home-run class. He filled plenty of holes on our roster with elite talent and filled plenty of the hopes and dreams in our hearts.
With all these positives, I can say something with the utmost confidence – the work is not yet complete. Not even close.
Our roster will still morph into something different than what we see on paper right here and right now. More players will become available after rosters are trimmed to 53 in late August.
Moreover, there are still high-quality NFL players who remain unsigned. As we take the next step in this magical rebuild to become a team that can (and will) compete in 2022, how can we get better? Where are the glaring holes in our roster – or do we have any?
Let’s take a deeper look at who amongst this current crop of free agents can better our team now. Here are five players left in free agency that I feel Joe Douglas should target.
#5: Sheldon Richardson, IDL
Proposed contract: 1 year for $2.25 million
Current player most at risk: Sheldon Rankins
Yes, I know – this is kind of making the decision to drunk dial your old flame. Been there, done that.
However, this is a rendezvous that kind of makes sense for both parties. Richardson is a durable, well-rounded run-stuffer who graded out best during his career operating inside, lined up over the guard, or on the inside shade of the tackle as opposed to playing on the outside the tackle or on the edge.
He stands 6’3’’ and weighs in a shade under 300 pounds with extremely strong hips. At 31 years old, Richardson still shows good get-off and elite use of leverage to successfully play the 1-gap or 2-gap technique.
In 688 snaps played last season, Richardson managed a respectable 39 total tackles (25 solos), 2.5 sacks, and 6 tackles for loss and accounted for 13 QB hits and 1 forced fumble.
Heading into his 10th season in the league, Sheldon isn’t going to be asked to man the field 3 downs nor should he be asked to. Saleh is known to love and stress a rotation to keep fresh legs on the D-line.
Sheldon can cure a lot of the problems we dealt with last season in early downs. He compliments the likes of Quinnen Williams and Solomon Thomas and could play very nicely lined up next to Nathan Shepard in short-yardage situations.
Richardson also contributes on special teams because he has a penchant for blocking kicks/punts. A reunion could be beneficial for both sides, although expectations need to be tempered as Richardson is not the player he once was.
#4: J.C. Tretter, C
Proposed contract: 2 years for $15 million with $10 million guaranteed
Current player most at risk: Connor McGovern
In this episode of “How the HELL is this guy still unsigned” we discuss J.C. Tretter.
Here is something that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. At 31 years old, he still has a lot of juice in the tank. Tretter also rated out on PFF as the 6th best center in the entire league last year.
One of the last true plug-and-play interior lineman left on the market, Tretter is plus/plus against both the run and pass.
Standing 6’4’’ and weighing in at 307 lbs, he is super athletic for his size. J.C. would be an ideal fit in the Jets’ zone-blocking scheme.
His leg drive moves bodies out of the way and allows him to get into the 2nd level with ease.
Tretter does have enough positional flexibility to align as a guard if need be. He played both LG and RG in college.
Tretter possesses an outstanding football IQ and has been extremely durable during his tenure in the NFL. Starting at least 16 games for the past 5 years. In 2021, he allowed only 8 QB pressures and 1 sack over 1100 snaps played.
The Jets have done a wonderful job over the past two off-seasons completely revamping this offensive line. If there is one “weak” spot on this line some could clearly argue that McGovern would be it.
The million-dollar question would be, is this move even necessary? My answer is yes. Good teams always try to make themselves better and to me, it is evident that Tretter would be an upgrade over the middling Connor McGovern.
The projected contract could also save the Jets $2.5 million on the cap this year which could come in handy at some point later in the season. Joe Douglas has begun to elevate the quality of players we field on Sunday afternoons.
A move like this could transcend our team from rebuilding to contenders. It’s hard not to be all-in on a player like Tretter who can just make the entire O-line unit better.
#3: Jaquiski Tartt, FS
Proposed contract: 2 years for $5 million dollars with $2 million guaranteed.
Current player most at risk: Ashton Davis
People seem to excel in their comfort zone. When talking about a guy like Jaquiski Tartt or a team like the New York Jets, the comfort zone is undeniable.
Tartt, who is 30 years old, has spent 7 years playing with the 49ers – four of them with Robert Saleh as his defensive coordinator. Saleh has already shown his hand in previous transactions by dipping into the player pool of guys he has coached before – DJ Reed & Marcel Harris just to name a few.
Safety is one of the positions that most Jets fans felt needed a complete overhaul after the 2021 debacle. Injuries cost us LaMarcus Joyner and Marcus Maye for the majority of the year and Ashton Davis failed to show the improvement we were hoping for in year two. Sure, it was great to see a nice game from Jason Pinnock or Elijah Riley, but let’s face it – neither of them is the answer.
Enter Tartt, 6’1’’ 215-pound veteran who knows the defense, it’s vernacular and could man the single high free safety position with ease.
Tartt has good ball skills and unlike some of our other FS in 2021, takes good angles in run support.
I know that the Jets invested in another year of LaMarcus Joyner, and all Jets fans are interested in what he can bring but a three-man rotation at safety is a must nowadays. Dependent on schemes and certain nickel/dime packages we employ, wouldn’t it be nice to see Tartt lined up in the deep middle with Joyner/ Whitehead lined up on a TE or big slot WR?
The possibilities are endless and if the price is right, it makes a ton of sense. I feel a Tartt signing may cause the end of the Ashton Davis experiment…so, Jets fans, some of you may rejoice at that alone.
#2: Landon Collins, Hybrid LB
Proposed contract: 2 years/$11 million with $5 million guaranteed
Current player most at risk: Marcel Harris
28-year-old Collins fits ideally as a tempo-setter who can energize a defense with his downhill, aggressive style. He is at his best when he can attack rather than sitting back in reading and react situations.
Collins’ tackling, pursuit angles, and speed to the sideline can help a defense shut down the rushing game.
His game does come with deficiencies – hence, why he is still a free agent at this time. He is inconsistent at best with his route recognition, has below-average hands for a DB, and is a little stiff in the hips.
Collins signed a large contract with Washington in 2019 for 5 years and $84 million dollars. Washington figured out how to play to his strengths and mask his deficiencies by transitioning him from the typical SS role to more of a rover/hybrid position.
In 2021, he amassed 81 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 3 forced fumbles. Respectable numbers.
Unfortunately, the cap restraints Washington faced this off-season by bringing in the $24 million dollar contract of Carson Wentz forced their hand. They had to cut ties with Collins.
At 6’ 228 lbs, he has enough size to fit as an LB in the Robert Saleh scheme and his skill-set fits the same mold of guys who have played well in that role. Guys that play downhill, can line up and cover TEs when asked and find and man their zones efficiently.
Collins could offer value as a strong rotational piece to our LB corps that could pay immediate dividends as well as offer a bridge to some of the younger players like Jamien Sherwood & Hamsah Nasirildeen.
To me: A) this is a fit that makes perfect sense, B) it is a position of need, C) Landon Collins offers a stronger skill set than what we have in place now.
The Jets staff has talked up their LB corps this off-season, so it will be interesting to see if the actions match the spoken words. I’m all for making a play on Collins and letting him thump away on our defense.
#1: Riley Reiff, OT
Proposed contract: 1 year for $5 million
Current player most at risk: Chuma Edoga
With all the positive changes to our front five plus the addition of 4th rounder Max Mitchell, you would think that an offensive tackle would be far from a “need” for our Jets. Cue in all the Mekhi Becton drama. Cue in last season’s resurgence of 30-year-old George Fant.
In an ideal situation, Becton comes back healthy and resumes his position as one of the nastiest MF’s in the NFL while Fant continues to build off of last year’s upswing and ascends to be a name people correlate with the top tackles in the game.
Like it or not, we cannot bank on one or both of these happening. The need for a true swing tackle who can come in and play effective snaps is a must.
Max Mitchell may be that swing tackle, but it probably won’t be this season. In fact, selfishly I don’t want it to be. With the team shifting from rebuilding to becoming competitive, I don’t want to hang my hopes on a 4th round tackle from the Sun Belt Conference.
This is exactly why we brought Morgan Moses in last year and why I’m suggesting that a grizzled vet like Riley Reiff makes a lot of sense. Yes, he is 33 years old, but offensive linemen age like a fine burgundy.
Reiff is a very strong run-blocker and knows the intricacies of our zone blocking scheme – a scheme that fits his skill set very well. In 711 snaps last season, Reiff only allowed 1 sack. The former 1st round pick out of Iowa has plenty of experience playing both LT and RT.
Reiff did suffer an ankle injury at the end of last year, so as long as the medicals check out, he easily could be this year’s, Morgan Moses. What an incredible value that would be to have.
The upgrade over a player like Edoga is evident and the $1 million that we could save in cutting Edoga makes the cost of Reiff much more palatable. With the questions that still have yet to be answered at tackle, it would be wise if we plan for the worst-case scenario and Reiff should be our plan A.
In an ideal world, Reiff signs but never has to play a down – fingers crossed.
There you have it ladies and gentlemen – a quick rundown of some of the current free agents who I think fit what the Jets are trying to build.
The focus is on players who can come in and make a difference. Players that can elevate the positional groups that they play in.
Players that could help play a part in the next step of this rebuild. As I’ve stated numerous times throughout the article, the part where we start to compete and play some meaningful games late into the season.
I love how joe Douglas has reshaped this roster and in the manner that he’s done it. It’s been a long time since there was anything to really be excited about as a Jets fan.
This organization is doing things differently. It feels different, the buzz about the Jets is different and I sense the results will be different than we are accustomed to.
We have been stripped down to the studs and built back up, laid on proper foundation and footings. NFL, you are now on notice.
Oh, how dark it was before the dawn…
Let’s go Jets…
Dom C. Excellent article! Very well written and great cases made for each player you mentioned. Always great when you read something and come away wiser as a result, thanks for a great read!
JN (Salty nutz)