Jets’ Defense Must Find an Edge to Take the Next Step

[JetNation]

It’s been said countless times over the past decade that the New York Jets have not had a true edge rusher since John Abraham. The list over the years goes on and on.  From free agent veteran pickups such as Aaron Maybin, Calvin Pace, and Jason Taylor who were moderately successful, to draft busts in Vernon Gholston and Quinton Coples. It can be said that the Jets have had equal trouble finding a pass rusher and a franchise quarterback. In 2018, things will not be any different as the search for a speedy pass rusher off the edge continues.

Two of the most important cornerstone positions to build a team from are the quarterback and a pass rushing defensive end/outside linebacker. Mike Maccagnan has failed to address the position with a high draft pick in his three years as General Manager opting to focus on other areas of need.  He could have drafted NC State stud DE Bradley Chubb but correctly chose to go with the most important position in the sport and drafted QB Sam Darnold.

The Jets have instead built their defense from the inside out. After drafting defensive linemen Nathan Shepherd and Folorunso Fatukasi to pair with Leonard Williams they will hope to generate a pass rush from the interior rather than off the edge. While it can work, not having an outside presence can close the lanes for the likes of Williams and co. on the inside.

Todd Bowles and his coaching staff will have to get creative when it comes to finding ways to generate a pass rush. They will still need a speedy linebacker such as Darron Lee, as we discussed here, to take the pressure off of their interior linemen or will have to send a DB like Jamal Adams blitzing off the edge. He has shown he can have some success in doing so, recording 2 sacks last season, but of course, that would only be situational and not every passing down.

As it stands right now the Jets do not have top-notch options to fill the position. David Bass, Dylan Donahue, Jordan Jenkins, Josh Martin, and Lorenzo Mauldin will all get their chance in training camp and preseason to show that they deserve the starting spot. Jenkins, however, should be set as the starting ROLB. Although he’s not much of a pass-rusher having totaled 5.5 sacks in his first two seasons, he fills other roles such as setting the edge and stopping the run. If he can increase those numbers by a few sacks the Jets will be in much better shape.

Bass, Donahue, Martin, and Mauldin will all be fighting for playing time this summer to showcase their skills. The odds are slim that all of them will make the final roster come September. Bass played well in limited action totaling 3.5 sacks which were tied for second on the team. He played in 13 games and in only about 29% of the team’s defensive snaps. He’s part of the solution for now as he showed potential and provides solid depth, but probably isn’t the long-term answer at the position.

Martin and Donahue will both be facing an uphill battle. Martin has 2 sacks in his 2 seasons with Gang Green and is more of a special teams ace than a linebacker that will have a key role in the defense. Although he can still carve out a role for himself since they are so starved for talent at the position.

Donahue, a Division II prospect out of West Georgia already had a tough road ahead of him making the jump from a small school. His rookie year did not go as planned, finishing with 4 tackles in 4 games and 0 sacks before an elbow injury ended his season. He also faces a possible suspension due to an off-field incident (DUI/car crash). His roster spot could be in jeopardy, but it’s unlikely that the Jets are ready to cut ties with their 2017 fifth-round pick. He should have a place on the final depth chart, but he must show the coaching staff something to earn that spot by producing on the field.

Lorenzo Mauldin is the biggest name to keep an eye on. These next few months will make or break Mauldin’s Jets career and the fourth-year linebacker is well aware. He recently told Darryl Slater of NJ.com, “I’m definitely trying to fight for my roster spot, I’m overwhelmed, actually, because now it’s like: It’s now or nothing.”

Mauldin showed promise during his rookie season with 4 sacks and 12 QB hits in 15 games but had just 2.5 sacks in his disappointing sophomore season but said back in April that he is “beyond ready to go”.  Mauldin has the tools and the makeup to be a productive pass-rushing linebacker for the Jets, but he has a long way to go to put it all together. He must also prove that he can stay healthy after missing some of 2016 with an ankle injury and all of last season with a back injury.

A much-improved secondary will help the Jets pass rush by giving their rushers that extra second needed to get to the quarterback, but they must still find pass rushing help sooner rather than later. The pieces are slowly starting to fall into place on the defense though they are missing that one big piece. If Gang Green has found their QB of the future in Darnold, they must now set their sights on the other side of the ball and address the edge.

Next year’s draft crop is projected to have a ton of prospects at the position should they choose to go that route. With around $100 million projected in cap space for 2019, the Jets can also set their sights on a free agent such as DeMarcus Lawrence should Dallas let him come free. Time will tell if Maccagnan and co. can find their next cornerstone.

The post Jets’ Defense Must Find an Edge to Take the Next Step appeared first on JetNation.com (NY Jets Blog & Forum).

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[T0mShane]

Trade Darron Lee to Denver for Shane Ray or Jacksonville for Dante Fowler. It’s too perfect. 

[Freemanm]

They also need a defensive coordinator and a head coach with a strong defensive background - oh, wait...

[GreenFish]

Rex Ryan ran one of the most successful Jets defenses without a top notch edge rusher. In 2010 the Jets were ranked #2 with Pace leading the team in sacks with 6 followed by Bryan Thomas with 5.5. Now the Jets had a world class coverage team. But it’s a myth that we need this top notch edge rusher. 

All the analytics coming out of PFF suggest a great coverage player is more valuable than a great edge rusher. To go along with the data they also explain why. 

What the Jets need is to continue to add top notch players to either their coverage team or to get better edge rushers. But they don’t neccessarily have to do one way. If we pair Tru with another corner of his caliber and have a good Nickle corner as well, that is more than enough for the Jets to have a top 5 defense giving the pass rush Leo can bring up the middle and the blitzing we can do with various players.

[dbatesman]

37 minutes ago, JetNation said:

Mike Maccagnan has failed to address the position with a high draft pick in his three years as General Manager opting to focus on other areas of need.  

Yeah, thank goodness we can check “undersized ILB who sucks at literally everything” and “safety who can’t cover a corpse with a blanket” off the list

[T0mShane]

:drafts short OLBs with 4.8/40;7.40.+ 3c;/sub-32 vj for four years:

”Edge rushers are very hard to pinpoint”

[Dcat]

Sorry, but Mike Maccagnan doesn't believe in Edge rushers.  Mauldin?  Perhaps the slowest Edge in the NFL.  He's not an Edge rusher.  He's an Edge walker.

[The Crusher]

1 hour ago, T0mShane said:

Trade Darron Lee to Denver for Shane Ray or Jacksonville for Dante Fowler. It’s too perfect. 

Overall 6 and the 2nd we get for healthy teddy at mid season for best edge rusher in draft. 

[Jetster]

Jets need a Bosa type in the 2019 draft. You get a player like Bosa with Leo, Nathan, Foley, you add a free agent kick azz OLB similar to Ryan Shazier (no jokes please), and now you have power & speed. 

Watching Bosa play, I now know why he held out. The guy is taking Watts mantle.

[Philc1]

1 hour ago, dbatesman said:

Yeah, thank goodness we can check “undersized ILB who sucks at literally everything” and “safety who can’t cover a corpse with a blanket” off the list

lol

[rangerous]

edge may be a need but without the rest of the guys performing he will not be this great panacea.  look at watts.  he's supposed to be the best but i don't think he's ever won a game all by himself. the jets have a guy in leo who can occupy a couple of blockers and create lanes for adams or lee or mauldin or whomever rush the passer.  the other dlinemen can do the same.

[Beerfish]

4 hours ago, GreenFish said:

Rex Ryan ran one of the most successful Jets defenses without a top notch edge rusher. In 2010 the Jets were ranked #2 with Pace leading the team in sacks with 6 followed by Bryan Thomas with 5.5. Now the Jets had a world class coverage team. But it’s a myth that we need this top notch edge rusher. 

All the analytics coming out of PFF suggest a great coverage player is more valuable than a great edge rusher. To go along with the data they also explain why. 

What the Jets need is to continue to add top notch players to either their coverage team or to get better edge rushers. But they don’t neccessarily have to do one way. If we pair Tru with another corner of his caliber and have a good Nickle corner as well, that is more than enough for the Jets to have a top 5 defense giving the pass rush Leo can bring up the middle and the blitzing we can do with various players.

I'd love to see how they justify their stance with analytics because i could not disagree more.  A great pass rush makes so so dbacks look okay, good dbs look really great.  About the only CB recently that really took over games was revis.  Meanwhile guys like watt, donald (not edge guys but pass rushers) and true edge guys like von miller just wreck other teams.

If you have a good edge rusher you make the other team change their game plan.  You know all the TES and RBs that kill the jets game in and game out?  Suddenly they have to stay in to block or chip edge rushers.  Also holding calls seem a lot more apparent on the outside on on one than in the interior.

No, the jets have ignored or failed at edge rusher for years and it has cost them.

 

[kelly]

any of u guys see..

[Jetsplayer21]

Unless we get the 1st overall pick, and the edge rusher next yr is BPA ( at 1) we won’t be drafting a edge rusher. Every other team in NFL will reach quite considerably to grab an edge rusher. Mac has to defend his 100% stubborn BPA mentality. He was told to get a qb so he had to make any exception there. But if a corner, DT is graded higher than the edge rusher, you know who we are taking ?

[Jetster]

No doubt in my mind Jets beat writers read the threads started here & write stories a week later with the same themes. 

[sec101row23]

The notion that you can “cover” your way to more sacks is simply a fallacy.  Good offenses can scheme around that if they have to.  It’s by far much harder to scheme around a very good pass rush.  Like Beerfish said, the Jets have all but ignored edge rusher in the draft, which wouldn’t be nearly as bad if they didn’t use all those first round picks on defense.  Give me an above average pass rush over an above average secondary any day of the week.  

[sec101row23]

9 minutes ago, Jetsplayer21 said:

Unless we get the 1st overall pick, and the edge rusher next yr is BPA ( at 1) we won’t be drafting a edge rusher. Every other team in NFL will reach quite considerably to grab an edge rusher. Mac has to defend his 100% stubborn BPA mentality. He was told to get a qb so he had to make any exception there. But if a corner, DT is graded higher than the edge rusher, you know who we are taking ?

Well, at some point need HAS to factor into your high draft picks.  

[GreenFish]

3 hours ago, Beerfish said:

I'd love to see how they justify their stance with analytics because i could not disagree more.  A great pass rush makes so so dbacks look okay, good dbs look really great.  About the only CB recently that really took over games was revis.  Meanwhile guys like watt, donald (not edge guys but pass rushers) and true edge guys like von miller just wreck other teams.

If you have a good edge rusher you make the other team change their game plan.  You know all the TES and RBs that kill the jets game in and game out?  Suddenly they have to stay in to block or chip edge rushers.  Also holding calls seem a lot more apparent on the outside on on one than in the interior.

No, the jets have ignored or failed at edge rusher for years and it has cost them.

 

I’ll see if I can find an article but I heard their side from the podcast. So not sure if they have an article. But their data concluded that an elite corner contributes more to winning than an elite edge.

It comes down to impact of plays. A pass deflection by a corner ends the play. Down is over. Whereas as a QB can still complete a pass with a QB hurry. Look also at their most impactful play, int and sack. A sack puts a team in a 3 and long. Likely a punt. Whereas as INT changes possession immediately in a much better field position than the resulting punt from a sack. There were other reasons, but I don’t remember everything.  I think another point they made was that when you look at a pass play, a corner is closer to the football. They are directly involved in a play. If a corner falls on a play, it’s a touchdown. If an edge falls, it doesn’t necessarily mean a negative play. So a bad corner is brutal for a defense. In other words, the performance of a corner on a pass play has a bigger impact on the outcome of a play.

When PFF talks about positional value, they rank them as QB > CB > Pass Rusher.

edit: couldn’t find an article from PFF. This info was from the PFF analytics team podcast. So can’t really share a link or anything. It can be done both ways was my take away. 

[Warfish]

By "next step" do they mean going from 25th in yards allowed (22nd in points) to somewhere in maybe the teens?

The Bowles era goes ranked 4th, then 11th, then 25th.

I see "steps" here for sure.....backwards.

[GreenFish]

11 minutes ago, Warfish said:

By "next step" do they mean going from 25th in yards allowed (22nd in points) to somewhere in maybe the teens?

The Bowles era goes ranked 4th, then 11th, then 25th.

I see "steps" here for sure.....backwards.

? Hopefully we move in the right direction.  But this sort of supports my point. The Jets were basically a top 10 defense in two of Bowles’ 3 years despite not having a good edge pass rusher. We did that with good coverage. 

I’m not saying we shouldn’t get an edge. Im just argument against this idea that we “need” a top notch edge to be a top defense. 

[Jetsplayer21]

1 hour ago, sec101row23 said:

Well, at some point need HAS to factor into your high draft picks.  

He will have to be told to do so by ownership. Or maybe Bowles. 

[joewilly12]

11 hours ago, T0mShane said:

Trade Darron Lee to Denver for Shane Ray or Jacksonville for Dante Fowler. It’s too perfect. 

We need Shane Ray. 

Jacksonville isn't parting with Dante Fowler. 

[Bugg]

Been said by me and many others, including Willie Colon and Mike Westhoff; move Leo Williams around, look for a mismatch in a 1 on 1 . It can be done within the 3 -4 or with wrinkles.  Mangini did it, so did Ryan, depending on the opponent.Heck, suspect they run nickel a third of the defense calls anyway.  Alas, the defensive coordinator head coach big brain Todd Bowles lines Williams up same place every down. 

[varjet]

10 minutes ago, Bugg said:

Been said by me and many others, including Willie Colon and Mike Westhoff; move Leo Williams around, look for a mismatch in a 1 on 1 . It can be done within the 3 -4 or with wrinkles.  Mangini did it, so did Ryan, depending on the opponent.Heck, suspect they run nickel a third of the defense calls anyway.  Alas, the defensive coordinator head coach big brain Todd Bowles lines Williams up same place every down. 

If the perception this year is that the defense lags behind the offense, Bowles will need to go.  

[Jetsplayer21]

2 hours ago, varjet said:

If the perception this year is that the defense lags behind the offense, Bowles will need to go.  

I think Mac goes with him. Can’t blame the HC for who the GM drafts. Even if the gm says he is just listening to his HC. Well duh you have a DC as a HC wonder which side of the ball he is going to demand his gm drafts. We have been there with Rex Ryan. Darnold needs a TON of better pieces around him. If team Mac/Bowles doesn’t see that, they will be fired very soon.

[Beerfish]

15 hours ago, Bugg said:

Been said by me and many others, including Willie Colon and Mike Westhoff; move Leo Williams around, look for a mismatch in a 1 on 1 . It can be done within the 3 -4 or with wrinkles.  Mangini did it, so did Ryan, depending on the opponent.Heck, suspect they run nickel a third of the defense calls anyway.  Alas, the defensive coordinator head coach big brain Todd Bowles lines Williams up same place every down. 

100% agreed, been saying this for two years.  Find the weak link and move williams there whether he ends up at tackle or end.  But as tou say bowles and some other coaches have system ahead of player abilities.  Bowles sucks.

[j4jets]

On 6/1/2018 at 7:17 AM, GreenFish said:

Rex Ryan ran one of the most successful Jets defenses without a top notch edge rusher. In 2010 the Jets were ranked #2 with Pace leading the team in sacks with 6 followed by Bryan Thomas with 5.5. Now the Jets had a world class coverage team. But it’s a myth that we need this top notch edge rusher. 

All the analytics coming out of PFF suggest a great coverage player is more valuable than a great edge rusher. To go along with the data they also explain why. 

Rex >>>>>> Toilet Bowels

But of course Rex was a buffoon. As if we’ve got an incredible collection of HCs. 

[jgb]

Edge rusher more important than coverage guy because coverage guy disrupts one route. Edge rusher disrupts them all 

[varjet]

On 6/1/2018 at 9:19 PM, Jetsplayer21 said:

I think Mac goes with him. Can’t blame the HC for who the GM drafts. Even if the gm says he is just listening to his HC. Well duh you have a DC as a HC wonder which side of the ball he is going to demand his gm drafts. We have been there with Rex Ryan. Darnold needs a TON of better pieces around him. If team Mac/Bowles doesn’t see that, they will be fired very soon.

Mac's drafts have really not offered many opportunities for him to draft an EDGE, Beasley excluded, and I don't know whether it was worth for a team without a QB to sign one in FA.  It is up to Bowles to use the high picks he has used on defense to make the defense work.

But maybe the Beasley non-pick was Beasley's first and worst major move.  He passed on a pass rusher for a 4th 3-4 DE.  It seems that the Jets are realizing now that they can draft those guys lower, have them take up space, and then focus on the other defensive positions.  In order for Leo to be worth a 5th year/second contract, Leo has to play and be used like Richard Seymour.  

[jgb]

26 minutes ago, varjet said:

Mac's drafts have really not offered many opportunities for him to draft an EDGE, Beasley excluded, and I don't know whether it was worth for a team without a QB to sign one in FA.  It is up to Bowles to use the high picks he has used on defense to make the defense work.

But maybe the Beasley non-pick was Beasley's first and worst major move.  He passed on a pass rusher for a 4th 3-4 DE.  It seems that the Jets are realizing now that they can draft those guys lower, have them take up space, and then focus on the other defensive positions.  In order for Leo to be worth a 5th year/second contract, Leo has to play and be used like Richard Seymour.  

Don’t think Bowles is creative enough to move a guy like Leo around and create mismatches or at least cause opponent confusion 

[Jetsplayer21]

1 hour ago, varjet said:

Mac's drafts have really not offered many opportunities for him to draft an EDGE, Beasley excluded, and I don't know whether it was worth for a team without a QB to sign one in FA.  It is up to Bowles to use the high picks he has used on defense to make the defense work.

But maybe the Beasley non-pick was Beasley's first and worst major move.  He passed on a pass rusher for a 4th 3-4 DE.  It seems that the Jets are realizing now that they can draft those guys lower, have them take up space, and then focus on the other defensive positions.  In order for Leo to be worth a 5th year/second contract, Leo has to play and be used like Richard Seymour.  

Please explain. How most of the league chases edge rushers. They are very valuable to most teams. Most teams reach and pick them very early. Just like qbs. Tell me how many times the jets have had top 10 “ premium “ pick ??

[Embrace the Suck]

On 6/1/2018 at 3:03 PM, GreenFish said:

It comes down to impact of plays. A pass deflection by a corner ends the play. Down is over. Whereas as a QB can still complete a pass with a QB hurry. Look also at their most impactful play, int and sack. A sack puts a team in a 3 and long. Likely a punt. Whereas as INT changes possession immediately in a much better field position than the resulting punt from a sack.

A strip sack can change possession too. A pass deflection at the line can end a play too.  Also, a QB that gets hit gets rattled even if it doesn't show in the stats. A rattled QB is an ineffective or less effective QB.

[varjet]

4 hours ago, Jetsplayer21 said:

Please explain. How most of the league chases edge rushers. They are very valuable to most teams. Most teams reach and pick them very early. Just like qbs. Tell me how many times the jets have had top 10 “ premium “ pick ??

I don’t like the way Mac has drafted, but other than Beasley (who is all they really needed), you can’t really say that Mac has de-emphasized EDGE.  There just really haven’t been any.   Beasley was the pick where Mac would have prioritized the EDGE, particularly when he already had 2 very good players playing the same position.  

If you look at the 2015-2016 drafts, you can find players picked after Devin Smith, Darron Lee and Hack that would have been better for the Jets defense.  Eric Kendricks, Preston Smith, Deion Jones, Myles Jack and others.   I think next year is the year where they use serious draft and FA capital on the line and EDGE.  They will have 3 more years of cheap Darnold, and 1 5th year option.  

[GreenFish]

12 hours ago, Embrace the Suck said:

A strip sack can change possession too. A pass deflection at the line can end a play too.  Also, a QB that gets hit gets rattled even if it doesn't show in the stats. A rattled QB is an ineffective or less effective QB.

Yup. Those are all benefits of an edge player. I’m not saying they are not important. Just saying the data shows a corner is more important. Some are not going to agree with that. And that’s fine.

I was also arguing against the idea that we need a top notch edge rusher to be a top defense. The edge vs corner is disputable. Not sure how this second point is though since the Jets have had success without a top edge. We just need more top players at corner or edge. It doesn’t have to be one over the other.

[Philc1]

9 hours ago, GreenFish said:

Yup. Those are all benefits of an edge player. I’m not saying they are not important. Just saying the data shows a corner is more important. Some are not going to agree with that. And that’s fine.

I was also arguing against the idea that we need a top notch edge rusher to be a top defense. The edge vs corner is disputable. Not sure how this second point is though since the Jets have had success without a top edge. We just need more top players at corner or edge. It doesn’t have to be one over the other.

No an elite pass rusher affects the game more the giants won in 2011 with mediocre CBs but they also had Pierre-Paul harassing Brady