Now that the Jets have found their head coach and their GM, their attention can turn to the roster. The Jets are in a weird place with their current roster although new GM Darren Mougey believes the team should win games this season. There is a lot of talent at almost every level, but there is a lot of under achieving to go along with that talent.
The Jets will need to find a way to iron out the quarterback situation and they are going to have to get creative to do it. But that isn’t the only position where they are going to have to figure things out. I have already taken a look at the players I think should stay or leave on the offensive side of the ball, but the defense has more question marks.
Along the defensive side, the Jets have a lot of question marks and are going to have to make some tough decisions based on age, money, and talent. New defensive coordinator Steve Wilks is going to be aggressive with the players he has on the roster. With that in mind, here is a list of defensive players whose future with the Jets is in question and whether they should stay or go.
D.J. Reed, CB
Reed was one of the few Joe Douglas free agent signings that really worked out for the Jets. Reed was constantly ranked in the top tier by any metric at his position and together with Sauce Gardner and Michael Carter II, made the Jets secondary one of the best in the league. But Reed was signed to a three-year deal at a discount because he was so undervalued in free agency. That will not happen again. This is a tough business and with the salary cap ever looming you just can’t pay three corners top money. Carter was already signed. Sauce’s money is coming. Someone must go.
Verdict: Go
Jamien Sherwood, LB
Sherwood was one of the lone bright spots on the New York Jets this season, stepping in for an injured C.J. Mosley. He finished the year with 158, 98 of them solo tackles, in 16 starts. That is not the kind of production that you allow to walk out the door, especially with a player who is only 25-years old. He is a free agent this season and the Jets won’t be alone in their attempts to bring Sherwood back as Jeff Ulbrich, now the DC with the Atlanta Falcons would love to bring in Sherwood to be his middle linebacker in Atlanta. Still, the Jets should learn from their past mistakes with Frankie Luvu and Demario Davis and keep Sherwood in the building.
Verdict: Stay
Sauce Gardner, CB
Sauce Gardner had a down year, which was bound to happen considering how stellar his first two seasons went. There is nothing about his game this year that can’t be fixed with a little coaching and some motivation. There are actually some Jets fans who want him traded, and to them I beg, go root for another team. You aren’t wanted here. Lock Sauce up long term and watch him lock up opposing receivers for the same amount of time.
Verdict: Stay
Solomon Thomas, DE
Thomas is entering his age 30 season, and ever since being drafted in the first round by the San Francisco 49ers, he has been signing one-year deals. He signed once with the Las Vegas Raiders and then three one-year deals with the Jets. He has been the Jets nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for the past few seasons and is a good guy to have in the locker room. That being said, he is not a starter. He is a high-level role player on a defense. I would love to see the Jets bring him back in that role, but he will likely have suitors (49ers? Falcons?). The Jets should try and bring him back but prepare to lose him.
Verdict: Stay if possible but likely go
Haason Reddick, EDGE
This might go down as one of the worst moves of the 2024 season. From start to finish, Reddick was a disaster for the Jets. His hold out and subsequent garbage performance on the field likely cost him the money he so desperately wanted from the Jets. This was a dumpster fire from start to merciful end.
Verdict: Go. Quickly.
Chuck Clark, S
The Jets could do worse than Chuck Clark at safety. They could do better than him too. It’s hard to judge Clark based solely on last season considering how much disarray surrounded the team after Saleh was fired. The safety position is an interesting one for the Jets because the Jets do not have one returning player at the position. So someone is going to have to return. Doesn’t have to be Clark though.
Verdict: Go
Tony Adams, S
I could almost copy and paste what I wrote above about Chuck Clark to Tony Adams. He's a decent player and the Jets could do far worse (and have) than him at safety. But he isn't a premier player and rarely makes a big play. I imagine the Jets will try and keep either Adams or Clark, and for the sake of this article, I'll say this time they keep Adams.
Verdict: Stay, I guess.
Brandin Echols, CB
I do not understand how Brandin Echols is so consistently overlooked. Every time I have seen the guy have to step in, he makes a play. A sixth round pick by the Jets out of Kentucky in 2021, he was a starter on this team prior to the arrival of Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed and I didn't think he was that bad. He is still young at 27-years old, but the Jets would have a hard time finding a better depth piece at an important position than Echols.
Verdict: Stay
Javon Kinlaw, DT
Kinlaw is a former first-round pick (14th overall) by the San Francisco 49ers who made his way over to the Jets trying to reignite his career under his former defensive coordinator, Robert Saleh only to see Saleh shown the door five weeks into his Jets tenure. While he managed to stay healthy, something that plagued him during his time in San Francisco, he never really excelled on the field. In fact, I thought he was a liability in the run defense and only had 4.5 sacks despite playing next to Quinnen Williams and Will McDonald. He was average at best and his price tag isn't worth his production.
Verdict: Go
These are not the only question marks on the Jets defense, but these are the bigger names that the Jets will need to decide on. Some other depth pieces including Ashtyn Davis, Bruce Hector and Leki Fotu I think the Jets should attempt to bring back in a similar role if they get the opportunity.
