Happy new league year for the NFL! NFL free agency officially opened yesterday and although there was a lot of action during the tampering period than the actual free agency period, it was enough to know what the New York Jets wanted to accomplish during this off season and ultimately the results have us feeling a little better about where this team is heading but there's a lot more work to do. Monday was the start of the NFL's legal tampering period, where teams can contact players and offer contracts but can't legally sign any contracts until the start of free agency.
The New York Jets wasted no time tampering with all of the free agents in the NFL, They have reached out to players like Anthony Barr, Jamison Crowder, C.J. Mosley, Matt Paradis, and of course Le'veon Bell (as expected). It had seemed to be going very well when the Jets signed both Anthony Barr and Jamison Crowder, one player to help boost the defense as an edge rusher and the other would add another weapon for the second year quarterback Sam Darnold not to mention they were in talks with a stud center in Matt Paradis. Then Tuesday came and everything seemed to be picking up where Monday left off by signing former Ravens linebacker C.J. Mosley early Tuesday morning, it had got to the point where we thought that the Jets defense was already going to be improved with those two additions. But everything fell apart when Barr backed out of the Jets deal to sign with the Minnesota Vikings and then Matt Paradis went onto sign with the Carolina Panthers.
It had seemed that everything was falling apart for the Jets because they were losing out on the other free agents that may have filled a need for this team. This is where I thought Mike Maccagnan messed up because it seemed that the Jets were waiting for the response of the former Steelers running back, when he should continue to fill in the other needs on this team. But then when the clock stroke midnight, the Jets have got the guy they wanted the most and loan behold Le'veon Bell is officially a New York Jet after Jamal Adams had been recruiting him throughout the off season. Even though he missed the entire 2018 season, Bell improves this offense because of his abilities as a running back that not only strengthens the run game but the passing game as well. This helps Sam Darnold in everyway because he has not one but two weapons to benefit his development.
So what is next for the Jets? They have needs in offensive line, cornerback, an edge rusher, and a kicker after letting Jason Myers go, I see this team signing a couple more free agent veterans before turning over to the draft. With the No. 3 overall pick, they could draft a couple of rookie edge rushers like Josh Allen from Kentucky or Nick Bosa from Ohio State, both of them would be exceptional for the Jets defensive line especially pass rusher ( a need they have been searching for 16 years).
Overall if there is anything we have learned from free agency is that the Jets are keeping their word when they told us that the Jets were going to be very active this off season, but now it's time to turn to the NFL draft where in my opinion will be very crucial for this team especially during the late rounds. This team needs to find some late round talent not just in the first or second round, Jamal Adams said last year that this team needs "dawgs" meaning that they need players who are giving everything they have every single play. The Jets have the players and now it's time for the coaching staff to implement a winning culture.