This offseason, Joe Douglas has been extra like Joe Ouglas. His focus has not been on the D.
It has been clear since January that the Jets have been setting out this offseason to bolster their offense after watching it drag them down lately. That mission continued within the draft, with Douglas utilizing his first 5 draft picks on offensive gamers.
On paper, the Jets’ offense appears vastly improved over what they put on the market lately. That begins with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, after all, and Jets followers know all too nicely {that a} staff that appears a technique on paper within the spring might not essentially look that manner on the sector within the fall. Rodgers’ damage 4 performs into final season ripped up the 2023 model of “this staff on paper.”
However the Jets’ rebuild on offense has gone past simply hoping that Rodgers can keep wholesome this season. Douglas has improved the offensive line with some gamers who include damage and age issues however may appear to be steals if they’ll keep on the sector in tackles Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses. He then added Olu Fashanu within the first spherical of the draft as an insurance coverage coverage if one of many tackles does go down.
At receiver, the Jets took one other swing in free company with a participant who could possibly be a house run if wholesome in Mike Williams, who’s coming off a torn ACL. They added Malachi Corley as a possible slot receiver within the third spherical of the draft, and now, the Jets really feel fairly good in regards to the weapons Rodgers has round him, beginning with Garrett Wilson and Breece Corridor via Tyler Conklin, Corley and Williams.
Will it work?
We’ll discover out when the season will get right here. However proprietor Woody Johnson is clearly uninterested in watching his protection hearth on all cylinders whereas his offense backfires week after week.
“It’s actually all in regards to the offense,” Johnson mentioned in February. “For the final 5 years it’s been in regards to the offense. The offense has to attain, hold the protection off the sector. The protection is sweet.”
Johnson isn’t mendacity. The Jets haven’t had a top-10 offense in yards per recreation since 2015. Heck, they haven’t gotten increased than 25 since then. They have been 31 final 12 months. In the meantime, the protection has been within the high 10 thrice within the final 5 years and within the high 5 every of the final two years.
The Jets have been via 9 completely different offensive coordinators within the final 13 seasons. They’ve been via 15 completely different beginning quarterbacks in that point. The one secure factor in regards to the offense over the playoff drought has been its instability.
The Jets truly hope that their offense begins to play slightly extra like their protection. They preach enjoying with violence on protection and judging by a couple of of those draft picks, they wish to add that to the offense. Corley is called the “YAC King” for what number of yards he will get after the catch. If you watch his movie from Western Kentucky, he runs over defenders and performs with a toughness the Jets covet.
“I feel I joked with Joe,” Jets coach Robert Saleh mentioned, “if his, if he had a relative sitting on the objective line, he’s going to run him over too.”
Then, the Jets took one other participant who they hopes deliver physicality to the offense with fourth-round operating again Braelon Allen, a 235-pound again who can punish tacklers.
The important thing, after all, is a wholesome and efficient Rodgers, who will deliver his personal edge to the offense.
With the heavy lifting of roster constructing over, it appears like Douglas has successfully upgraded the offense. Once more, appears in April could be deceiving. However perhaps, simply perhaps, the Jets could have an offense that may match their protection this season.