Top 5 Positions the NY Jets Need to Address This Week

For those of you who haven’t completely given up on the worst franchise in all of US professional sports, this is a big week! The NY Jets have a chance to defend their title as Offseason Champions by signing many people that we will most likely overestimate and get our hopes on again. As you can tell, I’m not too eager to re-enter this cycle but I may have no choice if this new regime addresses the positions we’re about to discuss.

There are many moves Joe Douglas made last year that benefit us this year (like this one), but what has this new regime scrambling a bit is all of the one-year deals Douglas doled out last offseason. Now, as a result, there are many holes to be filled throughout the roster. My colleague Brandon Natale did a fantastic job highlighting which Jets free agents to re-sign, but for these positions, there are no Jet options that really get those rooms to where we need them to be. Let’s start with the most obvious:

5. Safety

During the entire Saleh Era this was the most neglected position on the roster. It was a stark contrast from the days when the Jets had arguably the best safety tandem in football, headed by multi-time All-Pro Jamal Adams. Still, this depreciation of the position didn’t matter too much because schematically the 2022 and 2023 Jets were too much for most opposing offenses to handle. With a new regime, scheme, and philosophies being brought in, now is probably as good a time as any to finally give proper attention to this game-changing position. Of course, Ashtyn Davis and Tony Adams can potentially make nice depth pieces, but let’s go out and grab one of those big names (i.e. Justin Simmons, Jevon Holland) to put a top on this new-look Jets defense.

4. Cornerback

I will miss D.J. Reed dearly but I do not blame him one bit for running as far away from the Jets as possible and not looking back. His coach of choice was fired, this team has been a dumpster fire, and he’d like to spend his last big contract of his career making money and competing for titles. That being said, the Jets need to replace someone who was ranked in the Top-12 among his position for almost every year of his Jets career – a canyon-sized hole to fill. Depending on how Steve Wilks and Aaron Glenn see it, they could end up moving Michael Carter II to the outside and shuffle responsibilities around amongst the talent they already have, but I’d sleep better at night with a veteran addition. At 26, MC II is the oldest CB in the room, so it’d be nice to bring in an older guy to help coach up the young guys (like Qwan’tez Stiggers) and help establish that culture the Jets so desperately need.

Darius Slay is a guy I’ve previously mentioned as a huge boost to the room, but it seems like Carlton Davis is the more popular name among media members who are tying Davis to Glenn due to their shared time in Detroit. I’d be fine with either, but wouldn’t be fine with this position being ignored in free agency. Of course, if Will Johnson is available at #7 overall that’d be intriguing, but you never want to put yourself in a position where you have to draft a specific position so high. If Will isn’t there and it’s not addressed this week, we could be facing a disastrous situation.

3. Tight End

I am a big fan of Tyler Conklin and would be happy if he returned to the Jets this season. It seems that the fanbase is less impressed and wants to look elsewhere. The name I’m seeing is Juwan Johnson, who played for the Saints and is coming off a “career year,” but those career numbers are arguably worse than any year Conklin had as a Jet.  If I’m in charge of the search, I’d start with Evan Engram, who had 114(!) catches for almost 1,000 yards in 2023 before battling injuries in 2024. Engram would be an upgrade whereas Johnson at best would be more of the same, just with a better relationship with the coach.

I’m also curious to see how the new regime evaluates the leftovers from the Saleh Era. Will Jeremy Ruckert play a role this season? Is there any chance Kenny Yeboah is one of the Jets that gets re-signed? Tight end is an important position that seemingly every team has been able to utilize effectively besides the Jets. If we’re seeing the Lions’ philosophy come over to Florham Park then perhaps that position will be used much more efficiently, as seen with Sam Laporta and T.J. Hockenson during the Campbell Era. Of course, having a guy like Tyler Warren on a rookie deal wouldn’t be so bad either.

2. Defensive Tackle

Some of you may think this is too high on the list for another position that has been disrespected for quite some time, but we should all agree one of the biggest problems of last year was the run defense. A very close second was the lack of consistent pressure we were able to generate. Again, we don’t know what kind of defense Steve Wilks is planning on running so we don’t know exactly what roles each player will fill but I do know having Quinnen Williams and Will McDonald IV as your only reliable options on the defensive line is not a recipe for success in the trenches. I have a ton of respect for Jermaine Johnson and hope he is a Jet for years to come but we’ve seen from Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, and Carl Lawson how tough it is to come back from an Achilles injury so I am expecting to see the Jermaine we know and love in 2026 rather than 2025.

Regardless, Jermaine and Will are Defensive Ends. I’m looking for a quality starting tackle next to Quinnen Williams to finally end the cycle of band aids that have been put beside him the last few years. I’d love to see the Jets draft Mason Graham at #7, but as we said for Safety, we cannot risk putting all of our eggs in one basket. If you’re following the same basic media philosophy of naming every player who has ever played for Aaron Glenn, then the name Levi Onwuzurike stands out. This is a guy who has only played for Aaron Glenn in his whole career, is an ascending player (27 years old), and was ranked 41st out of 219 against the run and 15th out of 219 in pressures for 2024.

1.  Wide Receiver

I think the gap between number 1 and number 2 on this list is massive. I wrote a piece on Malachi Corley and how I believe we shouldn’t count him out, but if you’re counting proven assets in the WR room, then we have no choice but to do so. Garrett Wilson is the lone player in the entire room who has ever had 300 yards in a season. There is serious work to be done in this room, and I would hope to add at least two receivers in free agency before drafting one in April. With that being said, I’m not opposed to signing the popular name (and former Lion of course) Tim Patrick.

I agree with Coach Glenn’s quote that people change culture, and if he thinks Tim Patrick is one of those culture changers then sign him up. However, if at any point Patrick is a top 4 receiver on the depth chart, something has gone seriously wrong. Injuries robbed him of the entire 2022 and 2023 seasons but in 2024 he made his triumphant return where he logged 33 catches, 394 yards, 3 touchdowns in 16 games with the Lions. He turns 32 this season and I’m very comfortable betting the farm that his best football days are behind him.

Names that I’m much more comfortable starting on the outside opposite Garrett Wilson are Amari Cooper, Darius Slayton, or the 27-year-old Nick Westbrook-Ikhine coming off a career year. All those guys either had 500 yards or 9 touchdowns last year and the latter two are both on the right side of 30. Amari may be on the other side, but as a fourth overall pick who made 5 Pro Bowls in his 10 seasons I’m sure there are so many things Garrett can learn from him. Unlike some other receivers his age, Cooper doesn’t come with the super inflated ego or any demands to touch the ball every play (just ask Buffalo!). He’s just a talented ball player who has played the game at a high level for years.

Give me Tim Patrick and one of those three guys I mentioned above and I’m okay with free agency. Add Tetairoa McMillan to that and I’d probably be the happiest guy on Earth for at least the rest of April. T-Mac or no T-Mac though, Wilson, Cooper, Corley is a solid trio with Tim Patrick back there changing the culture in the locker room. With T-Mac or even another high draft prospect like Emeka Egbuka, and now we’re looking at a receiving core that’d be set to dominate the league for years to come (assuming they give Garrett the extension he deserves). Let’s start fixing some issues! Let’s go Jets.

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