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SUNY Cortland 2021 Red Sox/Jets contributor for Boston Sports Extra

Three Teams That the Patriots Should Worry About

I am a Jets fan, which I’ve shown in previous articles. The Jets are bad, and got worse after the injury to Josh McCown. They’re done and are doing what their original plan was: tank. But, still being a football fan, I’ll talk about the best team in the AFC. That’s the Patriots. They pulled off another miraculous comeback win against the Steelers, thanks to Rob Gronkowski and a classic Big Ben play. The Patriots look primed to make it to the AFC Championship again.

Is there anyone who can stop the Pats from getting yet another AFC crown? There are three teams that the Patriots should look at worrying about down the final stretch of the season. The teams? They’re the Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Buffalo Bills. Before you exit the article, let me make the case for each team. They are all good football teams that have their individual reasons in why they could defeat the New England Patriots.

The Case for the Jaguars

“Sacksonville” has applied pressure consistently on any opponent throughout the year and have earned their nickname. They have the most sacks in the league. The Patriots have a decent line, but it is not the best. The cornerbacks in Jacksonville are the best in the league as well, limiting to opponents to just 169 passing yards per game this season. Brandin Cooks, Gronk and Co. will have tough match-ups ahead of them if New England faces the Jags. Blake Bortles is playing consistently, and Leonard Fournette is one of the best backs in the league. The Jags rolled the Texans 45-7, and did not have Allen Hurns, Marquise Lee or Fournette this past week.

The Jags have everything it takes to play in the cold as well: a great defense and a top-tier running back. It will be a challenge for Bill Belichick and the Pats coaching staff to limit the playmakers on both sides of the ball for Jacksonville if the two AFC powerhouse teams face each other this January. If this showdown does occur, NFL fans should buckle up. They are in for a great game.

The Case for the Steelers

Yeah, Gronk dominated the Steelers’ defensive backs. Yes, the Pats held a very good Pittsburgh offense to 24 points. But, if this match-up goes down in January, coach Mike Tomlin may want to look for a solution to Gronk. The task will not be easy, but maybe the Steelers’ staff can muster something up, which should include a double team.

A key piece was missing from this past weekend, and that was Antonio Brown. The greatest receiver in Steelers history should be back come playoff time after tearing his calf muscle in the first quarter. Le’Veon Bell should be there, along with rookie standout JuJu Smith-Schuster, with Martavis Bryant, etc. The Steelers defense is adequate enough to hold the Patriots to under 30, as seen Sunday. That can give the Pittsburgh offense enough room to outscore the Patriots. But it all starts with limiting Gronk, which is the toughest challenge for any defensive coordinator in the NFL today.

The Case for the Bills

Lol. That’s probably the first thought going through anyone who read that I consider the Bills a danger to the Pats. That could be true, but the Bills face the Pats next week, meaning they could get the Pats out of home field advantage. The Bills are also actually in the playoff picture, and winning out would give them a playoff berth. If the Bills happened to play the Patriots for a third time, it’d be in Foxborough. Probably not an ideal location for the Bills, but it’s the hand they are dealt.

Sean McDermott is a good coach, but probably won’t outcoach Belicheck. They would be forced to rely on LeSean McCoy and, I don’t know, actually use that athletic freak they acquired from Carolina? Charles Clay can also be a guy Tyrod Taylor relies upon, like we saw against the Dolphins. The defense of Preston Brown, Micah Hyde and Tre’Davious White will have to try to limit Rob Gronkowski, something that will be very difficult to do for a defense that simply does not have the raw talent to defend a 6’7″ monster.

Is Eli Manning’s Career Over?

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The New York Giants’ coach Ben McAdoo announced around 3 PM on Tuesday that longtime starting quarterback Eli Manning will be benched for Sunday’s game against the Raiders for Geno Smith, as announced in a press conference held by McAdoo. This will bring an end to Eli’s 210 game streak of starting in an NFL regular season or postseason game. McAdoo also stated that rookie Davis Webb would get a shot to at some point this season. Webb, who was a third-round pick drafted from California, was highly praised for his natural athletic ability and big arm, according to Mike Mayock. Webb’s decision-making, however, was cited as poor and “robotic”, along with being a poor scrambling quarterback.

If the Giants don’t improve their offensive line, Webb is a poor choice at quarterback, as the Big Blue line is the most depressing thing in sports since The Butt Fumble. Webb is not even an average scrambling quarterback. And when I say their line is depressing, that’s quite an understatement. They suck, a lot. It’s a disgrace to offensive lines to call the New York Giants offensive line an offensive line. It’s more like a collection of semi-mobile practice dummies trying to protect a school of fish against a shark. Nothing’s going to go over well. But anyways, back to Eli Manning. Will Eli be back next season for the Giants, another team, or will he retire? Let’s look through Steve Tisch and John Mara’s options.

What the Giants Should Do with Eli

Eli Manning is still a serviceable quarterback in the league, but his contract severely limits his trade value. Despite the Giants 2-9 record, Eli has set a career low for interceptions per pass attempt (1.8%) and has a 2:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio this season. My fellow contributors at Boston Sports Extra also pointed out that a lot of his passes haven’t been as risky as in years past. This can be seen through his completions of 20 yards or more. Manning has completed only 20 passes of such quality, where his career average is about 44 per year. Even though there are still five games left to go this season, Eli has been throwing the long ball less often, leading to less chances and therefore, less interceptions. Given, his talent at wide receiver is about the worst in the league. After Sterling Shepard, Roger Lewis is the best receiver on the New York Giants. He is a passable WR3 at best, and should not be a focal point of any NFL offense at this point.

For the Big Blue, they should build the offensive line through the draft this year. Eli should remain the starter at least for the beginning of next year, and if it is determined that Eli is incapable to play quarterback. Manning will then have an option year, which the Giants will have to pay $6.2 million to opt out of the contract. Jim Mara and Co. should then let Eli go, let him retire, and let him go off into the sunset as a New York Giant.

Who Could Be Interested in Eli

The Giants should at least see what they can get for Manning, despite his $22.2 million salary cap hit next year. They could get a late-round pick for him, but the need for a veteran quarterback is rare as of now. Not many teams are in contention with a quarterback problem, and most other teams are looking to draft a quarterback in this year’s draft, besides three.

The Minnesota Vikings are the first team that could throw an offer the Giants way for the youngest Manning brother. All three quarterbacks (Bradford, Keenum, and Bridgewater) are free agents this upcoming offseason. The reality to this situation is that the Vikings will sign one of these three, as they have all proven to be above average quarterbacks and will cost significantly less money than is on Eli’s contract, and they will not be getting just a rental, which Manning is.

Tom Coughlin’s Jaguars

The Jaguars would be another team that could look at Manning. A possible Bortles-for-Manning swap? I highly doubt it, but part of me wouldn’t be surprised. Tom Coughlin loves Eli, and Eli loves Tom Coughlin. The Giants are looking for a young quarterback, and Bortles is only 26. He’s had his most consistent and mistake-free year so far, and hasn’t had his top target, Allen Robinson, this season. Given, Eli hasn’t had Odell Beckham, Jr. either. But, the Jaguars are doing well with Bortles, he makes sense in the long run for their organization, and they just opted in to keep Bortles for next year, which includes about $20 million if he is on the roster after June 1.

John Elway and the Broncos

This would be such a typical John Elway move. What’s more typical for Elway than to go out and get Eli Manning to finally settle the terrible saga that is the Broncos quarterback carousel since Peyton Manning left? Nothing. Elway has been putting the most sub-par quarterbacks in since Peyton left. Eli’s a rental and would allow Elway to draft another awful quarterback and let him “develop” under Eli. But, will it actually happen? Probably not. Eli retiring would be much more likely. But hey, hypotheticals are fun to think about.

Manning’s contract runs through next year and he has an option for the 2019 season. No one should worry about the 2019 season, as Manning will probably be retired by then. As pointed out before, the Giants would waste $12.4 million if they drop Eli.

What Manning Should Do

Manning will be 37 on January 3, which is getting old for any NFL player besides kickers, who are immortal (@JasonHanson, @AdamVinateri). He is a two-time Super Bowl champion and two-time Super Bowl MVP. He will forever be known for beating two dominant Patriots teams in the Super Bowl as well. If I am Eli Manning, I’m retiring after this season. In turn, Manning could ask the ownership to grant him a position either in the front office or as a coach. He has had a solid career, he should be able to give it up now. If he truly cares about the Giants and everyone that has given him a chance to succeed in the NFL, he would rid the Giants of a massive amount of money that could help the team succeed in the future. Eli has a good mind as a quarterback, and could contribute to the Giants process of getting over him.

Honestly, I have no idea what Eli could be thinking. In his interview after practice on Tuesday, he seemed defeated. His tone of voice was straight up depressing and hopeless, exactly like this season for the Giants. Retirement has to be weighing on his mind, and must feel like a semi-truck in his thoughts. I feel bad for him, he is a much better quarterback than advertised. He’s a potential Hall of Fame quarterback that will forever be overshadowed by a meme.

AL Cy Young Reaction and Rotation Expectations for the 2018 Red Sox

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The Boston Red Sox had some spectacular pitching performances this year. Many of them came from closer Craig Kimbrel and ace Chris Sale. These two stars led the Sox to the fourth-best ERA in the Majors this past year, and combined for 434 strikeouts this season over 283.1 innings. That’s good enough to strike out roughly 13.79 batters, per nine innings. Doing the math, that means that between Kimbrel and Sale would strike out, on average, more than half of the outs through a typical 9 inning game when they were the only two that pitched that game. Obviously, the instance of Sale and Kimbrel going back-to-back and being the only pitchers to appear in a game was slim, and will continue to be slim. Kimbrel was dominant the entire year, not showing any signs of fatigue in September. He finished sixth in the Cy Young voting, finishing ahead of Twins’ ace Ervin Santana and Blue Jays’ Marcus Stroman.

Chris Sale’s case is incredibly different, as he slowed down significantly over the last two months of the season. In August and September, Sale recorded a bleak 4.09 ERA, according to Baseball Reference. In the last two months of the season, Sale went from being a potential unanimous Cy Young and possible MVP candidate to finishing as the runner-up in the Cy Young to Corey Kluber. Kluber, despite being injured throughout a decent portion of July, undeniably deserved the award. He finished with the AL lead in wins and had an unbelievable 2.25 ERA. In addition, he finished with a 8.0 WAR, which was the highest among any pitchers in the MLB.

The Cy Young Reality

Did I expect Chris Sale to win the Cy Young Award given his late-season performance? Of course not. I was holding on to hope that voters would somehow look past the blow-up that occurred in the final two months of the season. But I figured Kluber’s near-perfect second half would be plenty to pull away from Sale in the Cy Young contention. It became too obvious, especially in the last two weeks of the season, that Sale had lost control of the honor. A lot of scouts and pro evaluators blamed faulting in Sale’s game due to a difference in his arm slot. In Game 1 of the ALDS, FOX analysts showed a side-by-side of Sale’s arm slot in the first half of the season versus his arm slot in the first game of the ALDS. The difference was drastic. His arm had lowered, throwing more off to the side than previously, and his wrist would be about even with his shoulder early in his delivery. In June, this was much different, as his wrist would be slightly above his head early in his delivery. In Game 4 of the ALDS, you would see a higher arm slot than in Game 1, which led to a slightly more successful outing out of the bullpen in Game 4 than his start in Game 1.

Starting Pitching

We saw the kryptonite known as fatigue hit Boston’s Superman in the stretch of the season. What adjustments can Sale make? Should we expect him in 2018 to repeat what he did in 2017? What can we expect from the starting pitching staff in 2018? Let’s take a look to see what to expect from the Red Sox starting rotation in 2018.

Rick Porcello

The starting rotation for Boston was not bad this year, but showed inconsistency and flaws throughout the season. Rick Porcello, the 2016 AL Cy Young Award winner, took the biggest step back in 2017. Should we expect 2016 Rick Porcello to ever return? No, but at times he was barely a serviceable fifth man in the rotation. However, you should expect somewhat of a return for Porcello. His 11-17 record with a 4.65 ERA is not what you want for a guy who is suppose to serve the third pitcher in the rotation.

The Return of Pretty Ricky

According to Baseball Reference, Porcello averages a 15-12 record with a 4.25 ERA throughout his career through a 162 game season. I’ll go to say the pitching coaches and trainers will focus on getting Porcello’s two-seam fastball and sinker back to where it needs to be. He will have a better than average season, compared to his career average, but still not close to what he was in 2016.

2018 Projection: 189.1 IP, 13-10, 3.82 ERA, 161 SO, 41 BB

David Price

Now onto the most controversial pitcher on the entire pitching staff. I am a David Price fan, and have been since he came to Boston. His less-than-spectacular start has overshadowed anything else good he has done with the organization. In the ALDS, this narrative began to change. Price came out of the bullpen and straight up dominated the future World Series champions. Unfortunately, his playoff appearances were usually after a poor start by someone in the Red Sox rotation or the offense failed to support Price. His elbow injury is, of course, a concern. Price is 32 years old, so surgery would take him out for 2018. Price showed a lot of passion at the end of last season. He came out of the bullpen and was always fired up after getting out of a jam or striking out in a big spot. He also showed the ability to hit 95-96 with his four seam fastball on multiple occasions, showing his elbow is all good for at least 20-25 pitches. His endurance will be the question, but with rehab this offseason, he should be all set and ready to go.

What to Expect in 2018

2018 should be a dominant year for Price. He took that first step to being great in the Postseason this past season. I can see Price, along with Sale, being the most dangerous 1-2 starting pitching combination in the league. Price’s emotion and mindset will lead him to do great things next season. Do not sleep on David Price.

2018 Projection: 204.2 IP, 16-8, 3.16 ERA, 201 SO, 49 BB

Eduardo Rodriguez

ERod is an interesting case. He has always been limited by injuries, specifically knee injuries, throughout his career. He did not look good after coming back from the knee subluxation that occurred in early June. Rodriguez is only 24, and will be 25 by next season. There is an argument saying that he hasn’t even entered his prime yet, and that argument is very valid. I believe that some small injuries will hamper what he will be able to do next season, maybe landing on the 10-day DL for a stint or two next year. However, I think he’ll still get at least 25 starts in this season, as he has been able to get at least 20 starts in his first three seasons.

A Look Ahead

Incorporating a two seam fastball may help ERod, to add onto his slider, changeup and occasional sinker. Increasing the usage of his sinker and being able to use his sinker effectively will help his game. Is this realistic? Yes. Is it likely to happen? No. ERod will most likely rely on his changeup to get batters to swing and miss. His four seam will be used to get batters to put the ball in play and get batters to ground out and fly out. ERod should have a better year than usual, showing development this upcoming season.

2018 Projection: 146 IP (28 starts), 11-9, 3.86 ERA, 154 SO, 45 BB

Drew Pomeranz

The Dwew Tang Clan rallied behind the goofy, 6’6″, 240-pound lefty Red Sox pitcher in 2017. It could be considered that Pomeranz was the most consistent pitcher on the Red Sox staff. He gets absolutely no credit for being so good, however. Pomeranz gets so little attention I almost replaced his section with a section on Steven Wright. I apologize to all of the Dwew Tangers out there that may take offense to this.

The Continuance of the Dwew Tang Clan

Throughout his career, Pomeranz has been good. This past season with the Red Sox, he had a career year, but Chris Sale’s chase to 300 strikeouts overshadowed Pomeranz’s performance in 2017. He put up a 3.32 ER, which was the seventh-best in the AL. He also had 17 wins, tying Trevor Bauer and Chris Sale for the fourth-most in the American League. Drew showed that he was a top 10 pitcher in the AL, and did it ever so silently. Pomeranz will also be 29 next season, and showing he is in his prime still. Expect another solid performance from Pomeranz this season.

2018 Projection: 179 IP, 16-6, 3.49 ERA, 173 SO, 71 BB

Chris Sale

Now back to the workhorse himself. Don’t expect a drop off in effectiveness or efficiency from Sale in 2018. Throughout Sale’s career, he has always been a monster on the mound. Some people don’t realize Sale is going on his age 29 season, either. The flamethrowing lefty is still in his prime. There is no need to worry about Father Time catching up to Sale anytime soon.

What To Expect From Sale

With the help of Pitching Coach Dayan LeVangie, will fix the arm slot issue next year. A big issue that Manager Alex Cora and LeVangie will have with Sale is making sure he does not get worn out like he has in season’s past. The way to fix Sale’s endurance problem is to rely on a two seam fastball and more movement than speed. Doing this will conserve Sale’s energy for September and October. His focus should also be on getting batters out, not just getting batters to strike out. Sale is a very intelligent baseball player, and will figure out how to fix what hurt him in 2017. Be prepared for another Cy Young-candidate season in 2018.

2018 Projection: 210 IP, 19-6, 2.72 ERA, 248 SO, 51 BB

Possible Fill-Ins

Injuries happen in the game of baseball, especially to pitchers. They can range from a minor hamstring strain to torn ligaments in the elbow. We witnessed this with David Price, Steven Wright and Eduardo Rodriguez in 2017 alone. Brian Johnson, Hector Velasquez and Doug Fister did a decent job filling in for the guys listed above. Fister had the most success, as he was the number three guy for Farrell come September. Johnson and Velasquez will most likely be back, and Fister will probably join a new club via free agency. Be prepared for Steven Wright to make several starts to give guys rest during the season, especially if Rodriguez and Price have reoccurring injuries. Roenias Elias is another pitcher who made a couple appearances in 2017. Elias could be a guy who fills in for an injured or rested pitcher a few more times in 2018.

Possible Jets 2018 Offseason Signings

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JETS OFFSEASON SIGNINGS

Michael Salfino, writer for the Meadowlands Media Group, weighed in on the possibility of Kirk Cousins going to the Jets. The original tweet and cap space argument:

This is fun to think about as a Jets fan, given the possibility of having a decent quarterback like Cousins, coming to the Jets. Does it really make sense? Let’s look at whether the Jets should try to sign Kirk Cousins in March. We can look at which positions the Jets should address in free agency with the amount of cap space they possess.

Pros

Kirk Cousins brings a skill set and talent to a team that lacks overall talent, and a consistently good quarterback. In 2016, he was third in passing yards and yards per game. Cousins was in the top-ten completion percentage, passer rating, and QBR. He also led the Redskins to four 4th quarter comebacks, which was tied fourth in the league. This season, he has continued putting up similar numbers. Cousins is fourth in completion percentage, yards per attempt, as well as third in total QBR. He is in the top ten of nearly every quarterback statistic in the NFL. All of the rankings and stats previously mentioned are brought to you via Pro Football Reference.

The Redskins have had a disappointing record of 3-4 so far this season. The disappointment cannot be blamed on Cousins. He has played well this season, and the offense has put up good numbers. They are 12th in terms of offensive points per game, and are 17th in rushing yards per game this season. Combining these statistics draws the conclusion that the Redskins are in the top half of the league in offense. The defense, however, is 28th points per game, despite ranking 12th in yards surrendered per game. The defense, or lack of defense, has been the Achilles heel of this Redskins team, not a lack of offense.

Cons

Cousins turned 29 this past August, which would make him 30 years old to start next season. That is not a haunting age, but the Jets may not be contending for another two or three years. This would put Cousins at 32 or 33 when Gang Green hits their stride. That is the same age as Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan and Alex Smith this season. Can Cousins turn into an undisputed elite quarterback by then? Sure, but the upcoming quarterback class is strong. The Jets should have a good pick in this upcoming draft, as I pointed out in my previous article.

Cousins would also cost a pretty penny, probably demanding upwards of $18 million per year, and a five-to-six year contract. This demand could block signings to fill in other positions, such as improvement of the offensive line, defensive tackle and cornerback. These positions can be filled in this offseason via free agency. With drafting a quarterback in the first round, it would only take up about $7-$9 million a year of cap space, half of what Cousins would cost. These are based on projections that the Jets finish between the fifth and tenth pick.

Uses with the Cap Space: Cornerback

At cornerback, Trumaine Johnson, Vontae Davis and Malcolm Butler are future free agents. All are top 20 cornerbacks, and can fill in needed roles for the rebuilding New York Jets franchise. Morris Claiborne, the Jets current number one cornerback, has played beyond expectations thus far. Another top 20 cornerback can be afforded by the Jets’ cap space this offseason, even after resigning Claiborne, who is a free agent in the spring of 2018. If the struggling Muhammad Wilkerson is cut, this will free up $11 million in cap space for next season, as described in Salfino’s thread of tweets.

Offensive Line

At offensive line, John Greco, Nate Solder, Trai Turner, Luke Joeckel and several more suitable linemen, are on the free agent market this season. I would expect the Jets to sign one or two offensive linemen in the upcoming offseason. Thankfully, Gang Green can afford to shell out a bit of cash for the line, given the enormous cap space they have created.

Defensive Tackle

At defensive tackle, the talented Dontari Poe is up for grabs, but may cost too much. At the age of 27, he is hitting his prime at defensive tackle, which makes Poe an intriging option at defensive tackle, to take over the aging Steve McLendon. Bennie Logan and Jared Crick are all younger, but established, defensive tackles or nose tackles, who will cost less than Poe. Crick has less talent than both Logan and Poe, but Crick can serve as an effective, somewhat young defensive lineman.

Where Cousins May Go

Although Kirk Cousins has undeniable talent, he may not fit this Jets team right now. He could land a role with another team, one who may not have a top ten pick in this year’s draft. I would look out for the Jaguars, Saints or Cardinals to pursue Cousins as well. The Saints and Cardinals have aging quarterbacks, and Drew Brees is a free agent this offseason. Cousins would be an upgrade over the inconsistent Blake Bortles, and would create a bigger threat to defenses than Bortles. The receiving core of Robinson, Hurns and Lee resembles that of the core Cousins had last year with the Redskins.

Kirk Cousins may be the most intriguing free agent this offseason, and will be a story to track. Stay tuned for more free agent rumors in the second week of February.

The Life of a Jets Fan: Why It Isn’t As Bad As You Think

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I have been a Jets fan for about twelve years now. For all but three years, it has been a repetitive kick in the groin. The first year under Rex Ryan, 2009, the New York Jets defeated the Bengals and Chargers in the playoffs. Eventually they lost to the Colts in the AFC Championship game. The future looked very bright, the ground and pound offense combined with a stifling defense provided some hope. In 2010, the same Gang Green group defeated Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in back-to-back weeks in the playoffs. Sexy Rexy and Co. then lost to Big Ben and the Pittsburgh Steelers. That loss to the Steelers, in the AFC Championship game, sent the Jets into the never ending abyss. Since then, they have had one season over .500, which occurred in 2015. After losing to the Bills in Week 17, due to two fourth-quarter interceptions by Ryan Fitztragic, the Jets failed to make the playoffs. I was not able to stand that season, but surprisingly, I have been able to stomach is this season.

Why We Can Endure This Season

This underwhelming season has featured a team that possesses veterans far past their prime; and young players who have two or three more years until they hit their prime. They have 38 year-old Josh McCown at quarterback–who had a career record of 2-24 as a starting quarterback coming into the season. They have a duo of rookies at safety–Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye. Their anticipated bright spots are two former All-Pro defensive lineman, who have more combined interceptions than combined sacks this season. To cap it off, their best receiver, Quincy Enunwa, was sidelined for the season in August. They were projected to win zero games this season, even with the lowly Browns on their schedule.

Eight Games In, and the Results Are…

At the halfway mark for the season, the Jets have won three games. One of those victories was against the Jaguars, who are the leaders of the AFC South at 4-3. The next was against their division rival Miami. The most recent win, in Week 5, was against the winless Browns. The Jets have exceeded expectations. They are rebuilding a franchise with a solid core of young talent. The green and white possess a GM that has drafted efficiently in his first two NFL Drafts. He and the scouts choose by determining who is the “best” player at what pick they are given. They retained all players they had chosen in the 2016 or 2017 draft, on either the active roster or their practice squad. Of those fourteen picks between 2016 and 2017, about eight and a half have made contributions to the team. The half being Jordan Leggett, who has been bothered by a knee injury for the majority of the season. Despite the injury, he has a good upside, given his large frame (6’5″, 258 lbs) and promising ability, to both block and catch the football.

Where to Go From Here

Where do the Jets go from here? They sure as hell should NOT tank. It is such an easy way to give up on yourselves, and is poor for team morale and the franchise in general. Jordan Jenkins, Coach Todd Bowles, and others claimed early in the season, that tanking was not on the agenda. So far, their words have been true. Three of the five losses have happened when they have had at least ten-point leads on teams. This is poor showing, they seem to have an inability to keep leads and close out games. This problem can be contributed to the inexperience of the defense, and the lack of clutch talent on the offense. Those losses against the Patriots, Dolphins and the Falcons, who are all more experienced, and more talented teams than the Jets. To fix these issues, they need three things: a quarterback, a young early-down running back, and a slot receiver. All of these can be acquired through the 2018 NFL Draft.

Addressing the Running Back

Bilal Powell will turn the haunting age of 30 after this season. Matt Forte is past the age of 30. Elijah Maguire has potential, but he should be used as a third down running back. I think they need to take a running back in the second round. If I were Coach Bowles and Mike Maccagnan, I would look at Nick Chubb out of Georgia. He provides the ability to be a workhorse back, and as of right now, holds an early second round value. Another running back that may fly under the radar for a third-round pick is Kalen Ballage out of Arizona State. His size (6’3″, 230 lbs) will compliment the smaller, shiftier Elijah Maguire in the backfield. Ballage has had a down season this year compared to his 2016 campaign. In 2016, he totaled 1,005 offensive yards, and fifteen touchdowns for the Sun Devils. Ballage could reach his potential as a big-time back after a year or two of experience in the NFL.

Addressing the Quarterback

The quarterback scenario is dire, and it is quite obvious that Christian Hackenberg, nor Bryce Petty, are the answer. This needs to be the first thing the Jets address in this year’s draft. The obvious choices are Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen, but if the Jets slip out of the top 10, these options won’t be available. In the case that Darnold and Rosen are not available, Ryan Finley, Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson should be available. I really like Lamar Jackson, especially the athletic similarity Jackson has to Michael Vick.

Addressing the Wide Receiver

To fit wide receiver needs, I would look to Deebo Samue,l out of South Carolina; Deontay Burnett, out of USC; or Antonio Callaway, out of Florida. All are six-feet tall or smaller, ideal for the slot. All reportedly run a sub-4.50 40-yard dash, according to walterfootball.com. Walter Football also projects all receivers to be drafted in the second round or later. This is a perfect value, for a solid receiver, to play at a WR3 or WR4. Right behind Robbie Anderson, Quincy Enunwa and Jermaine Kearse.

The future for the New York Jets looks bright, despite what has been a poor season thus far. The tandem of Jamaal Adams and Marcus Maye, should mirror that of Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas, in a year or two. The receiving core is young and explosive. They possess a young, talented but relatively inexperienced linebacker core. With a quarterback, additions of an early-down running back and another solid wide receiver, the future looks bright for the Jets.

Cover image: CBS Sports

Lamar Jackson image: SI.com