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Brian Poole.. Re-UP or Let walk ? ? ?


kelly

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Before Joe Douglas can focus on who he plans on targeting in free agency come March, he’ll have a handful of in-house decisions to make.The Jets have 25 players set to hit the open market this offseason. Some don’t figure to factor into New York’s plans for 2021, while others it’s safe to assume the Jets would like to keep around for a while. Either way, Douglas has a lot of work to do to put together a competitive roster for Robert Saleh.

One of the best moves Mike Maccagnan made in his final offseason as Jets general manager was picking Brian Poole up after the Falcons curiously elected not to re-sign him. New York’s secondary has struggled mightily in Poole’s two seasons with the team, but the Florida product has been one of the lone bright spots, functioning as one of the better nickel cornerbacks in football.

Should Douglas be focused on re-upping with Poole this offseason? Let’s evaluate the situation in Jets Wire’s latest free agent profile.

Pros of bringing him back - New York suffered from poor cornerback play during Adam Gase’s tenure as head coach, but Poole was from the issue at the position. In fact, he was the only corner the Jets could trust on a weekly basis.Poole quietly graded out as the 11th best cornerback in the NFL in 2020, according to Pro Football Focus, and was even better in 2019. His 2020 season was cut short due to knee and shoulder injuries, but Poole was nothing but solid in both run support and pass coverage last season.Poole plays with the kind of energy and toughness that could make him a favorite of Robert Saleh’s. He might not be the biggest name, but he is a key part of New York’s defense nonetheless.

Cons of bringing him back - The assortment of injuries Poole dealt with in 2020 could cast a cloud over his future with the Jets. The Florida product is not getting any younger and it’s worth wondering how his knee and shoulder can hold up moving forward considering his style of play.There’s also the question of how Poole fits in Saleh’s scheme. He profiles as a player that could succeed in Saleh’s defense, but New York’s rookie head coach might want to go in a different direction at nickel cornerback this offseason — especially with 49ers slot corner K’Waun Williams set to hit free agency.

The Verdict - There are not many free agents on New York’s defense worth keeping. The unit has been putrid the last two seasons and an influx of fresh faces is desperately needed at One Jets Drive.With that being said, Poole is one of the few Jets defenders that deserves to stick around in 2021. It won’t cost too much to keep him in the Big Apple and his veteran presence could be useful as New York transitions to a new defensive scheme.Unless Saleh is dead set on signing Williams or bringing in another player at the position, the Jets should indulge Poole in contract negotiations either before or at the beginning of free agency.

https://jetswire.usatoday.com/lists/new-york-jets-2021-nfl-free-agency-brian-poole/

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Like so many FA's around the NFL, it depends on the price. If it's a relatively short deal that's not astronomical I WANT Poole back. I don't see why he can't fit in Saleh's system. He was successful with the Falcons in a 4-3. There's been rumors of the Jets trading for Keanu Neal whos on the Falcons and was a teammate of Poole because he would be such a great fit and replacement for Adams. Why wouldn't Poole be a good fit? 

I don't think the Jets nec. need a bunch of fresh faces in the secondary, they just need to retain and ADD quality talent. They need to re-sign Maye, Poole and ADD a veteran starting caliber CB as well as a top 10 CB prospect to develop. At minimum.  

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2 hours ago, bitonti said:

I don't get these should they stay or go articles

The Jets have had months to sign these guys. They are going to let them all test the market 

Yes, because no impending free agents ever get re-signed between Valentine’s Day and the start of free agency.

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1 hour ago, PepPep said:

Like so many FA's around the NFL, it depends on the price. If it's a relatively short deal that's not astronomical I WANT Poole back. I don't see why he can't fit in Saleh's system. He was successful with the Falcons in a 4-3. There's been rumors of the Jets trading for Keanu Neal whos on the Falcons and was a teammate of Poole because he would be such a great fit and replacement for Adams. Why wouldn't Poole be a good fit? 

The new DC, Jeff Ulbrich, was with Poole and Neal in Atlanta, so I’m confident in our staff’s ability to decide if they fit the new scheme and are worth (re-)signing.

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Nickel CB is one of the most important players on the team usually an unsung hero. In this day and age everybody wants the number one WR and the guy that can cover him.

He's asked to do all kinds of things covering tight ends, slot receivers, robber, blitzing Etc. Poole, like Crowder has shown his worth at a very undervalued position.

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The Jets don't have the kind of defense where you can let good players walk.  We're lacking in so many spots right now...Edge rusher(s), LB, Safety, CB1 that I don't know how you can add another need (nickel CB) to that list.

I'd do my absolute best to bring back both Marcus Maye and Brian Poole.  Even after doing that you still need to figure out who your other Safety will be (if not Ashtyn Davis) and who will be CB1 (if Bryce Hall is CB2).  Guys like Bless Austin and Lamar Jackson are nice and all but we need an excellent CB and should probably Draft one in the first 3 rounds.

 

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On 2/14/2021 at 9:28 PM, New York Mick said:

He’s going to get paid over his NFL value since there’s not a lot of CBs on the market.

Poole is probably in the top ten. 

agreed !  ?.. i think he'll be around with us for a while longer   ?

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