Positional Outlook: Defensive Line

[JetNation]

This is the second part of a multi-part breakdown of each positional unit. Here, we are going to breakdown the Jets defensive line, which is certainly their strongest unit.

Defensive Lineman on the Roster
Leonard Williams, Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson, Steve McClendon, Deon Simon, Lawrence Thomas, Mike Pennel, Anthony Johnson, Claude Pelon, Brandin Bryant, Patrick Gamble

Major Losses
Fortunately for the Jets, they didn’t really lose anybody who made a significant impact on the defensive line. The only real loss they had was Jarvis Jenkins, who played in 9 games for gang green and recorded 7 tackles and 0 sacks.

Key Additions
Again, nothing really changed with the defensive line unit, but one big addition could be a healthy Muhammad Wilkerson. Wilkerson was one of the most dominant defensive lineman in the NFL in 2015 before breaking his leg in week 17. He recorded 12 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and batted down 7 passes that season. In 2016, he just wasn’t the same player, which could certainly be a result of recovering from the broken leg. He did manage to play in 15 games, but only recorded 4.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and only batted down 1 pass. Clearly, there is a significant decrease in production, but chalking that up to injury seems fair.

This upcoming season, Wilkerson should be able to bounce back to his normal self and become one of the most dominant players in the NFL again, especially with Leonard Williams starting to draw double teams as he improves. All in all, things should start to be easier for Mo as he has another year of recovery under his belt and an improving cast around him. Look for Wilkerson to bounce back and record 10+ sacks this season!

Players to Watch
When I wrote the cornerback outlook I only wrote about one player to watch (Juston Burris), but for the defensive line I believe it is worth two players: Sheldon Richardson and Deon Simon. People may ask, why not Leonard Williams? Well, we know what the Jets have in Williams: an ascending player on the verge of super-stardom. Williams, barring any unforeseen regression, will continue to dominate games and improve his statistics. Here, I want to discuss players who could improve and make a significant impact for this team.

First, Sheldon Richardson, who was one of the Jets best players just a couple of seasons ago, saw some serious regression last year. For a man of his talents to only have 1.5 sacks last year is absurd, but that could be because the Jets failed to find a spot to play him and he was kind of all over the place. They need to let him put his hand in the dirt and get after the QB. With Williams and Wilkerson on board and healthy, Richardson shouldn’t see many double teams and should be able to put up big numbers. There is also the issue of him being a locker room problem, but that was likely due to his feud with Brandon Marshall, who is now a member of the Giants. Richardson has been the topic of trade talk for months now, but I believe if he bounces back he could be a big part of this defense going forward.

As for Deon Simon, who is still relatively unknown throughout the rest of the league, I believe he can be our next version of Damon Harrison. Similar to Snacks, Simon came from a small school (Northwestern State) and has looked good in limited action. The Jets should give him the starting job over McClendon at NT if they are truly going full youth movement and see what they really have in this kid. He is already 27 years old, but if he can really start to see significant playing time, the Jets may have found another diamond in the rough.

Conclusion
On paper, this is one of the best defensive line units in the entire NFL, but names on paper don’t win games. The Jets need the big three of Wilkerson, Williams, and Richardson to stay focused and healthy and I believe they will finally be used properly and find ways to dominate games. Throw in an ascending Deon Simon in the mix at NT and this truly could be one of the best units in the NFL. Another guy to look out for is Lawrence Thomas who was beginning to develop nicely before going to the IR last season. On a young, rebuilding team, this defensive line unit should be the leading force and easily be the best unit we have. Expect big things from these guys!

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[phill1c]

15 hours ago, JetNation said:

Well, we know what the Jets have in Williams: an ascending player on the verge of super-stardom.

Wow, I don't really see it this way. I see an ascending player, I'm not sold on the "verge of super-stardom". Mostly because I don't think he's a JJ Watt level talent. But I would love to be proven wrong. I just think people are overrating the DL position. Just because the Jets have expended numerous 1st-round draft picks on the position doesn't mean that it's been worth the expenditure. There's a reason why DT Williams dropped: IMO, the position isn't as impactful as others on defense--rush LB, CB to name two--and definitely not as important as positions that score points.

[ASH1962]

I agree with phill1c 100%, I have not seen anything out of Williams that brings him close to an elite level yet. HC notwithstanding, and only if he can manage to play the players in position to succeed which he has never shown the propensity to do, would I even consider this being an elite defense. To me, until they prove it on the field, they are a bunch of overpaid overrated overhyped underachievers.

[Tony MaC]

You win games by winning in the trenches, and these guys will be winning battles like mad this year.

I'm confident in Wilkerson's ability to bounce back and Williams ability to reach that next level of elite play.

I don't figure Sheldon to be a part of this team's future but he's on a contract year and should be in top form so long as he doesn't play LB again.

There are a lot of positions that I'm worried about. D-line isn't one of them.

[phill1c]

2 hours ago, Tony MaC said:

You win games by winning in the trenches, and these guys will be winning battles like mad this year.

I don't think this is true anymore.

I think you win games on defense at the edge and in the middle of the field: If you can't rush the passer and can't cover the intermediate zone, the trenches won't mean anything significant. 

[long suffering jets fan]

On 7/10/2017 at 10:03 PM, phill1c said:

I don't think this is true anymore.

I think you win games on defense at the edge and in the middle of the field: If you can't rush the passer and can't cover the intermediate zone, the trenches won't mean anything significant. 

The Jets DL did their best work when we had Snacks.  He solidified the middle and demanded double teams freeing up the other guys to make plays.  Let's see if they can get back to form with out him this year. 

[phill1c]

10 hours ago, long suffering jets fan said:

The Jets DL did their best work when we had Snacks.  He solidified the middle and demanded double teams freeing up the other guys to make plays.  Let's see if they can back to form with out him this year. 

But what was "their best work" exactly and what real good did it do?

Yeah, the Jets defense has historically been very stout against the run. YAAAWN!! Winning teams couldn't give a sh!t less. The Patriots, for example, hardly ever run against the Jets, until they have thrown about 40 passes, have a lead, and the Jets DL behemoths are gassed and unable to stop the run.

Forget Snacks. He can't help the Jets cover the quick hitch. He can't run around a LT or RT and sack a QB in the 1.5 seconds (or whatever it is) that today's passing games get passes off in. And he wasn't even playing on third downs. So, really just a two-down dinosaur much in the mold of David Harris. A great, space-eating NT is really irrelevant to the Jets being a good defensive team. Great 3-4 DL and especially NTs are a luxury and not all that important if you don't have an edge rusher and are unable to defend the, short, intermediate and deep passing games.

[rangerous]

the good thing about the jet defensive line is shelly will be playing for a contract and wilk will be hopefully trying to make amends for last season.  if these guys play at a high level it will help everyone else including leo.

[jetscrazey]

We know how this plays out:  Teams with competent QBs/coaches will just avoid the d-line altogether, throw quick 1-3 step drops and bubble screens, neutralizing the d-line.  It's been this way for a while now.

[PepPep]

On 7/10/2017 at 7:01 PM, phill1c said:

Wow, I don't really see it this way. I see an ascending player, I'm not sold on the "verge of super-stardom". Mostly because I don't think he's a JJ Watt level talent. But I would love to be proven wrong. I just think people are overrating the DL position. Just because the Jets have expended numerous 1st-round draft picks on the position doesn't mean that it's been worth the expenditure. There's a reason why DT Williams dropped: IMO, the position isn't as impactful as others on defense--rush LB, CB to name two--and definitely not as important as positions that score points.

I agree that positions like QB, CB, Pass Rush LB, LT and I would even say #1 WR are considered critical positions in today's NFL that are worth investing high draft picks in.

But I believe there are exceptions with certain transcendent players. I think Elliott (a RB) is one of them, as well as Fournette- for example. To me, L.Williams is one of them as well. Mainly b/c of his versatility and athleticism for someone his size and being a D-lineman. He can play on the inside, he can move out to DE, he can excel in a 3-4 or a 4-3. He is stout against the run and athletic/quick enough to pressure the QB. I don't think he fell b/c he was a D-lineman. I think once draft day rolled around Winston and Mariota were locks to go 1, 2.There was a ton of hype about Fowler and his immense upside, despite being less of a 'can't miss' prospect than Williams, so no surprise he went 3. Cooper made a ton of sense for the Raiders and Carr and was another 'can't miss' prospect (on the offensive side of the ball). Then there were the Redskins who made a mistake and reached for a need at O-line. So really, apart from the Redskins passing on him, I was not surprised to see Williams go 6th overall.   

 I also believe that the NFL, like many other leagues, is constantly changing. It's clear that in today's NFL Safety and TE have become critical positions. I was not at all surprised that the Jets took Adams so early in the first round. Not only was he a fantastic prospect but I think a lot of NFL GMs realize the safety position is worth investing in if the talent level is there. We also saw 3 TEs go in the first round this year. Which is more than you typically see so early in the draft.    

[phill1c]

1 minute ago, PepPep said:

I agree that positions like QB, CB, Pass Rush LB, LT and I would even say #1 WR are considered critical positions in today's NFL that are worth investing high draft picks in.

But I believe there are exceptions with certain transcendent players. I think Elliott (a RB) is one of them, as well as Fournette- for example. To me, L.Williams is one of them as well. Mainly b/c of his versatility and athleticism for someone his size and being a D-lineman. He can play on the inside, he can move out to DE, he can excel in a 3-4 or a 4-3. He is stout against the run and athletic/quick enough to pressure the QB. I don't think he fell b/c he was a D-lineman. I think once draft day rolled around Winston and Mariota were locks to go 1, 2.There was a ton of hype about Fowler and his immense upside, despite being less of a 'can't miss' prospect than Williams, so no surprise he went 3. Cooper made a ton of sense for the Raiders and Carr and was another 'can't miss' prospect (on the offensive side of the ball). Then there were the Redskins who made a mistake and reached for a need at O-line. So really, apart from the Redskins passing on him, I was not surprised to see Williams go 6th overall.   

 I also believe that the NFL, like many other leagues, is constantly changing. It's clear that in today's NFL Safety and TE have become critical positions. I was not at all surprised that the Jets took Adams so early in the first round. Not only was he a fantastic prospect but I think a lot of NFL GMs realize the safety position is worth investing in if the talent level is there. We also saw 3 TEs go in the first round this year. Which is more than you typically see so early in the draft.    

I surely hope he does become transcendent. I didn't really see that last year. But, hey, I'd love to be proven wrong on this one.

Also, I agree that him falling wasn't totally because he was a DL. I'm just saying that if this were years ago, he would NEVER have fallen. And that it's because those other positions you mentioned are valued more today than in previous years.

[PepPep]

13 hours ago, jetscrazey said:

We know how this plays out:  Teams with competent QBs/coaches will just avoid the d-line altogether, throw quick 1-3 step drops and bubble screens, neutralizing the d-line.  It's been this way for a while now.

Sure. But when you have a stout D-line like the Jets it opens up your options on defense. The Jets d-line is very good at stuffing the run, for example.You can gameplan for bubble screens and quick hitters, especially when you know the offense can't run on you consistently. Now, obviously, the Jets secondary was awful last year and teams beat them every which way through the air. They have had a complete re-tooling of the secondary and hopefully that changes. But you make it sound like having a talented D-line is meaningless in today's NFL b/c there are ways to go around it, which is far from true. 

Every great defense has balance. If you have a porous D-line but incredible secondary, teams will run it down your throat and eventually hit you for a big PA bomb.

True, you can neutralize a great D-line with quick hit throws but you have to be incredibly efficient, accurate and work within a system run like a well oiled machine (Tom Brady and the Pats). Otherwise, it will be very hard to move all the way up the field 3-4 yards at a time.

If Maye and Adams prove to be the real deal, guys like Burris, Lee, Jenkins and Roberts continue to improve and Claiborne can stay healthy this will be a very, very good Jets defense. Even without an elite pass rusher.   

[jetscrazey]

11 hours ago, PepPep said:

You can gameplan for bubble screens and quick hitters, especially when you know the offense can't run on you consistently. Now, obviously, the Jets secondary was awful last year and teams beat them every which way through the air. They have had a complete re-tooling of the secondary and hopefully that changes. But you make it sound like having a talented D-line is meaningless in today's NFL b/c there are ways to go around it, which is far from true. 

I think the issue is more with Bowles and Rodgers, seeing as how it happens repeatedly and no adjustment is made.