Cap Comfortable: Jets Rank 10th in 2008
You know the phrase “make hay while the sun shines?” Well this offseason is the time for the Jets to do it.
With money remaining (can’t remember, but I am conservatively guessing over $5 $2 million … anyone know for sure?) on this year’s cap to extend players and smash forward bonuses before the new fiscal year starts (like Kerry Rhodes, say) and the cap going up $7 million in 2008 to $116 million, this could be a good year for the Jets to snipe some free agents.
The Jets rank 10th with over $27 million (see the full list in King’s SI column here) to use this coming offseason. This O-Line FA class can potentially be drool inducing and the Jets need to pay attention as they need immediate help at Guard or Tackle. The one team that I will be watching closely with their offseason moves are the Colts, who have only $8 million to spend this year and two excellent Guards to re-sign in Lilja and Scott … guys they have only paid $1.3 million to keep this past year.
What do you think the top priorities are for the Jets in free agency?
29 Responses to Cap Comfortable: Jets Rank 10th in 2008
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JP says:
I agree w/Ilan that we need Guards and a RT through FA — if we are to get better by 09 then now’s the time to get some veteran leadership on the line. Other than that, I would argue that we should sign a good backup QB –if Pennington goes we have zero depth there.
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Bent says: FYI, there’s about $2m left on the cap, if that.
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Rambo says:
Most of those free agents are going to be tied up by their current teams. So I doubt we get many big name FAs and I’m not sure we want that really. Our FO seems to have a good grasp on the draft which is where we should continue to improve our team. I think the obvious move is to beef up both lines. We probably aren’t signing Lilja, Gross, Haynesworth and Suggs but we should be able to get some good depth.
I would like to see Randy Starks who has a history of playing in the 3-4 (at Maryland) and is a big body at Nose Tackle or Defensive End. I think we will sign at least one Offensive Lineman with the intention of starting him and the early favorite has to be Stacy Andrews (which may not be a good thing because Cincy isn’t quite known for their line play). Otherwise we may pick up Randall Gay to start next to Revis.
It all will come down to the draft though because if we don’t get help rushing the passer, we will need to make a hard play for Suggs or Dansby.
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redd5 says:
Definitely the lines need to be addressed. Use a 2nd rounder on a good guard, and address RT through Free Agency.
1rst round pick needs to be a pass rushing machine!
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Question: how much of this $28M should we expect to apply to signing our draft picks? I’m curious how much we’ll really have left for FA’s.
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Bent says:
They set the level based on the picks you have, which is yet to be determined with trades likely to follow, but it’s all relative, so we should still be about 10th best once all is said and done (however, maybe some of the teams above us have many upcoming FAs that they will need to resign or replace – we don’t).
Do bear in mind that a chunk of that money will be swallowed up by cap hits when we trade or release veterans.
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matthewm says:
Trade down and trade up so you get as many second rounders as you can. Those guys always work out. Draft or sign some mauling guards who, when it is first and goal from the one, actually make room for a rushing TD. Then figure out what is needed to score points, and revive the Sack Exchange, and the boys in Section D will get back to their seats.
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SackDance99 says:
Pittsburgh is notorious for being cheap, so Faneca will go. He’s my choice for the OL. His skill, leadership and experience are just what the OL needs. With him, the Jets could integrate a better run-blocking RT and have the OL become a strength. Defensively, Suggs at OLB/DE is the best possible choice and, if I were the Jets, I’d be in that derby just to drive up the price.
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Faneca is gone but at this point is he any different than Pete Kendall? Seems like a good way to derail our offense(ive line) in 2-3 years.
Tennessee will most likely lock up Haynesworth with the amount of space they have.
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Bent says:
I’ve watched Faneca closely in a couple of recent games and am worried that he might be regressing. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still a huge upgrade over what we have, but I suspect someone will give him a massive deal and if they do it may prove to be costly in the long run. If we do go for him, hopefully I am wrong.
The good news is that there are several options, so it’s not an all or nothing scenario, which hopefully means the market for interior linemen will remain reasonably priced.
I agree on Suggs though. Less enamoured with Haynesworth.
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Harlan Lachman says:
Matthew M is likely wrong. I say likely because there is still some chance we could have a top three choice. If so, we should trade down our first pick if there is a chance. But the others we should keep for value. Our second will be as good as some team’s first and our third is as good as a second. Quality is what we need now. We should get 3 or 4 starters out of the draft if we don’t go for quantity.
Don’t we need more good players than we have picks? Yes. But that is what a good use of FA can accomplish. We have enough money if Tangini get it right after two abysmal years.
If they can’t learn from their mistakes, Woody needs to fire their a__.
harlan
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Tim says:
Well I echo the sentiment of most about the Jets obvious need for O-line upgrades. Additionally, I would love to see (either by draft or FA acquisition) the Jets add a money receiver. Nobody that catches the ball for the Jets scares opposing defenses at all. I’d love someone with size, speed, and maybe a little electricity to help spark this relatively mundane offense. Don’t get me wrong here, I love Coles, always have, its just that defenses respect him, but don’t fear him, and after that, who’s catching the ball for us? Not sure who’ll be available, but it’s Christmas time, and that’s my holiday wish…
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Ilan says:
I really like Suggs, think he might go for too much dough. Groves as a top 10 pick is a more likely scenario to upgrade the OLB position. I really like Max Starks. Think he’s be a great fit at RT. Reminds me of Kareem McKenzie who the Jets stupidly let leave for the Giants. Seems to me a o-lineman is doing his job if you never hear his name.
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jay says:
How about a new coaching staff, I am not sure the players are the problem.
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John says:
The jets consistently run on the right side. I am afraid that Ferguson is not living up to expectations. Only Mangold is bigtime on this line. We may need another LT and move Ferguson to RT or guard. A Thomas, Pace, Ogden quality LT.
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ste says:
I know he’s not necessarily the answer to the O-Line problems yet, but whatever happened to Jacob Bender?
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Bent has said this before and I will echo it, if Brick fails at LT, then forget him at any other line position. Guard and RT are primarily run blocking positions. RT might be the most important run blocking OL position. Brick is an AWFUL run blocker, but is an improving pass-blocker. I would hide his weaknesses by getting a better LG and running double-TE.
Faneca has been, is, and always will be a superior LG to Pete Kendall, who has never made a Pro Bowl. Unlike Bent, I think any tail off by Faneca (and I have not seen it) might be from his unhappiness at being in Pittsburgh. Plus, I think the Jets young OL needs his leadership. With Faneca, the Jets could integrate a rookie RT and still have a better OL. He’s the perfect guy to help 3 young players. Max Starks is an interesting prospect, but McKenzie was, and is, a much better RT. Starks lost his starting position and, despite his size, is not known as a good run blocker. I’m not sure that he’s that much better than what the Jets could draft in the 2nd or 3rd rounds at a much lower cost.
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I think the #1 FA priority ought to be a big strong QB to get pounded on next year, since I doubt the Jets are going to improve the line Faneca style. I would rather see a true NT rather than pass rusher like Suggs, but there’s a good possibility we pick up the NT with our first pick, methinks.
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Here’s an indication of the vacuum on the OL (and why I like Faneca, a similar “old school” player)…veteran leadership and killer instinct left this team when Mawae (not Kendall) was cut:
The newspaper said that several Chargers told Merriman that Titans center Kevin Mawae and another player were involved in the play with intentions of hurting Merriman.
Do we ever think that we’ll see a quote like “Brick and another player were involved in the play with intentions of hurting Merriman?”
By the way, please no “NT” with the first pick. The front 7 problems are at OLB and the 2nd ILB position…look how much better the run D is with just Harris replacing Vilma. Team Harris with Laurinaitis and the middle will be plugged. But, I think the Jets need a bona fide pass rusher, someone the opposing offense fears and someone who draws double teams. Suggs is the perfect player to fit that role…switch BT to LOLB and Suggs at ROLB with Harris and Laurinaitis in the middle and no one will be complaining about NT.
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SD 99. I think DE could be added to the list of front 7 problems. Ellis has played horrifically this year and Kenyon Coleman wins the Kimo Von O award for the most stupid, wasteful and meaningless offseason move by Tangini.
OLB is a disaster. ILB is a problem with a smaller NT. But DE is a position of need too.
h
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SD99, actually I’m kind of glad that Brick isn’t the kind of guy who’d be looking to cheap-shot an opponent. If that’s the kind of “leadership” Mawae is providing these days, no thanks. I do want to see Brick do a better job on run blocking, and I agree that Faneca would be a terrific fit. He just turned 31, and he’s incredibly durable, so he should have 4-5 prime years left in him. Add him, play Bender, and draft a RT / RG in the later rounds, and we should be set on the OL.
My top priorities are pass-rushing OLB, NT, and OG. NT is the toughest of those to fill, and there won’t be one worth taking in the first couple of rounds in the draft. A pure pass rusher makes a huge difference in the play of the rest of the unit, because he causes fumbles and turnovers, and can make the other team more conservative on offense. We don’t have a single player in the top 50 in the NFL in sacks! Not surprisingly, we’ve only gotten 5 fumbles this year – lowest in the Niffle.
To date, Team Tangini has done a good job of plugging holes with solid, dependable guys, but we don’t yet have game-breakers on either side of the ball. If we’re going to keep building, we need to add an explosive playmaker on the defense.
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Speaking of explosive playmakers. I don’t think the Jets have them on either side of the ball. Both the offense and defense have those needs. I will say it again, if McFadden is available when the Jets pick they can’t pass him up.
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pound4pound, Mawae exacted on the field punishment for what the Titans thought was a cheap shot to Vince Young by Merriman (and, it was). I guess we disagree, because if my QB is delivered a cheap shot by the opposing defense, I want my offensive linemen to exact retribution by taking out the offending player. I wish Brick played with the controlled malice that it takes to succeed as an offensive lineman.
Harlan, believe it or not, the last I checked, D-Rob, Coleman and Eliis were all among the NFL leaders in tackles at the DL position. I’m not saying that the DL isn’t a problem, but when 3 of 4 LBs in a 3-4 defense, which is all about the LBs making plays, stink, then that’s a priority.
Ilan, I’m all for taking McFadden if he’s there when the Jets pick, but I don’t think we can convince Tangini of that. But, McFadden would be a wasted pick if the Jets don’t improve the OL.
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By the way, the Jets let Mawae, Randy Thomas and Kareem McKenzie (the entire right side of the NFL rushing leader’s OL) all sign with other teams. Add in Kendall, and whoever you want at LT, and that’s one heck of an offensive line. It’s not that the Jets let these guys leave, it’s that they let them leave with inadequate replacements. Also, choosing to pay Fabini, but not McKenzie or Thomas, seemed smart at the time because LT is a more valuable position, but that turned out badly.
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K-Man says:
Let’s put this in perspective… We cannot stop the run WHATSOEVER. We cannot run the ball WHATSOEVER. We need massive amounts of help in the trenches on both sides of the ball. We get beat up just about every game on both sides of the line. Stopping the run and being able to run is the first step. That will change everything. I actually think we can stay put with our LB’s, DB’s, WR’s, etc. We need attitude, strength, and nastiness in the trenches!
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Ah, I didn’t know that part of the Merriman story. If that’s the case, yeah, that makes it different.
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Bent says:
Whilst the Jets are often branded foolish for letting guys like Jason Ferguson and Kareem McKenzie go, you have to bear in mind that the Jets were totally capped out, so there was no way we could have afforded them.
The real foolishness was getting into that position in the first place, part of which was the Fabini extension that SD referred to. (And trying to replace them with guys like Adrian Jones and Lance Legree). The blame for this pretty much lies with Bradway.
Re: What SD said about the DL’s tackle statistics, Coleman leads all defensive linemen, Robertson is 5th amongst tackles (for the second straight year) and Ellis is 17th amongst DE’s.
P.S. There are no NT’s in this draft. Not until day two and those guys will be projects/longshots.
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muff says:
i think parcells had some responsibilty with T bradway on these issues. when bradway and herm took over, the team was in a good place, actaully great place, much like dallas and wade phillips this year, but the cap was out of whack from signing guys like mo lewis and marvin jones to contracts beyond there prime years to keep them for the short term.
I’d like to see the OG and RT positions addressed in free agency. I think the line is very young as it is and a couple of veterans (guys who actually have talent) would really upgrade the line as a whole.
I think this team has decent depth at many positions especially after seeing what the FO did in free agency last year. None of those guys are world beaters but provide decent security blankets.
Aside from the o-line I’d like to see them to continue to build through the draft. Last year’s haul of four players at first glance seems to be quite impressive in terms of talent level but lacks the quantity this team will need to compete in the future. I say this as I continue to shake my head at the Schlegel pick in the third round (WOW).