Throughout the offseason, NewYorkJets.com reporters Eric Allen, Randy Lange and Caroline Hendershot will give their responses to a series of questions regarding the Jets.
Today's question: What Are Your Thoughts on the Jets' Approach to Free Agency?
EA: The approach has been both aggressive and prudent. It started with the quarterbacks on both sides of the ball. GM Darren Mougey never let Jamien Sherwood, 25, hit the market, inking the young middle linebacker to a three-year deal before the sharks came circling. Then the Jets quickly addressed the QB position, locking up Justin Fields, 26, on up to a two-year deal as the former first-round pick will get his chance to become a franchise QB. With D.J. Reed (Detroit) departing across from Sauce Gardner, the Jets brought in a young talented CB in Brandon Stephens, 27 . Safety was a need, and the Jets invested in the ball-hawking ability of Andre Cisco, 24. Aaron Glenn, Steve Wilks, Chris Harris and Dré Bly know DBs and development, so it will be interesting to watch these guys on a Green & White club that also re-signed the versatile Isaiah Oliver, 28. DB Kris Boyd, 28 and RB-KR Kene Nwangwu, 27, will compete for significant roles on special teams. Graybeard Derrick Nnadi, 28 has three Super Bowl rings and is a space-eater who can play 1-tehnique next to Quinnen Wiliams. TE Stone Smartt, 26, is an intriguing athlete while WR Tyler Johnson, 26, performed well in his limited opportunities with the Rams last season. C Josh Myers and T Chukwuma Okorafor, 27, have a combined 116 NFL starts and will add to the offensive line competition. The Jets will build through the draft, but they have addressed several needs in free agency with team-friendly deals and the coaching staff is going to attack development. The plan is sensible.
CH: The two biggest takeaways on the Jets free agency approach for me is that the deals have been team friendly, and the staff has been targeting youth. Of the 15 players the Jets have signed, the average age is 26.5 years old, and the average length of their contracts is 1.5 years. Only three players signed 3-year deals including LB Jamien Sherwood (who they never let hit the market), CB Brandon Stephens and DT Derrick Nnadi (who has won three Super Bowls). The advantage to this for the Jets is not getting locked into any long-term deals and more importantly obtaining players with a big upside. While a lot of these players are young, they have plenty of experience and will likely be more durable than a player who is in their 30's. This approach really marks the new era of philosophy at the Jets and excites me for what their approach with the Draft will be next month.
RL: What strikes me about the free agency class of new Jets is the age/experience grouping. Justin Fields turned 26 this month and is entering his fifth NFL season. C Josh Myers will be 27 on opening day and is in his fifth season. Others: TE Stone Smartt (26 and 4), WR Tyler Johnson (27 and 4) D-linemen Jay Tufele (26 and 5) and Rashad Weaver, 27, 5, S Andre Cisco, 25, 5, CB Brandon Stephens, 27, 5. The only age outliers among the recent arrivals, and not by much, are OL Chukwuma Okorafor, DL Byron Cowart and Kris Boyd, who will be 28, 29 and 28 , respectively, on opening day. This may be normal for NFL teams but these numbers really stand out to me this year, as does the absence of any thirtysomethings. What's the aim of the Darren Mougey/Aaron Glenn regime here? Optimize love-of-football and speed windows? Minimize older-body injuries and diminishing adaptability? All of the above or none of the above? Whatever their views, the new Jets brain trust seems to me to be hitting the age/experience sweet spot with these signings.
