Despite the feeling that the Jets are a dead team walking, the 2018 season is not over.
The Jets have time to turn things around at 1-3, starting with the upcoming three-game homestand against the Broncos, Colts and Vikings. Is 2-1 too much to ask in that stretch?
Still, even if the Jets salvage their season in October, it is hard to imagine this team playing beyond December. At this point a 7-9 finish would be an accomplishment.
So, while all is not lost, it is fair to turn an eye toward 2019 already when the Jets expect to have more than $90 million in salary-cap space, look like they will be armed with another top-10 pick and should have a sense of desperation that has been lacking the past two years.
There will be lots of cries for general manager Mike Maccagnan to go out and sign every shiny free agent out there, but it is clear where he must begin this offseason — up-front.
The Jets need to focus on their offensive and defensive lines to make sure the 2019 offseason is a success. This league is all about the quarterback. The Jets feel like they found theirs in 2018 when they drafted Sam Darnold. That makes 2019 all about protecting him and getting to their opponents’ quarterbacks.
If the Jets want to chase Le’Veon Bell or another playmaker, that is fine. There is enough money to go around. But Maccagnan can’t have the Jets report to training camp next year without a solution at pass-rusher and without a better offensive line.
Let’s start with that offensive line. It is not like they have been dominated in the first four games, but they are getting pushed around enough that the offense has not looked in sync.
The running game was nonexistent this week in the 31-12 loss to Jacksonville. Defenders were blowing past the offensive line, which was never more evident than on the safety in the third quarter when Calais Campbell and Marcell Dareus were in Isaiah Crowell’s face as soon as he got the ball. The Jets are averaging 88 yards a game on the ground, which is 25th in the league.
The pass blocking has not been terrible. They have given up 10 sacks against a group of good pass-rushers. The problem is with a young quarterback like Darnold, he needs even more time than the average quarterback and he has often looked rushed.
An offensive line rebuild has to be near the top of Maccagnan’s priority list. The Jets have not taken an offensive lineman in the first round of the draft since 2006 when they selected D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold. The last time they took one as high as the second round was Vlad Duccasse in 2010. Maccagnan has only drafted two offensive linemen in his four drafts, none higher than the fifth round.
Of the current starting offensive linemen, I would think only right tackle Brandon Shell, who has one year left on his rookie deal, is a certainty to be back in 2019. James Carpenter is a free agent and Kelvin Beachum, Brian Winters and Spencer Long all have contracts with no more guaranteed money after this year.
Defensively, the Jets need an impact rusher desperately. Look at the teams the Jets have played so far and each of them had a pass-rusher the Jets were worried about stopping. Ziggy Ansah for the Lions, Cam Wake and Robert Quinn for the Dolphins, Myles Garrett with the Browns, the entire Jaguars defensive line and then this week they get Von Miller and Bradley Chubb.
Who are Jets’ opponents scared of?
The Jets need someone to disrupt the quarterback and take some attention away from Leonard Williams, who would benefit greatly by having a running mate on the outside.
The offseason is still a long way off, but four games into this season, it is already clear what Maccagnan must address when it gets here.
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