The whole management of the defensive line was truly a travesty. We essentially traded Huff & a 3rd for Reddick. Traded JFM (replaced on roster with shitty Clemons), let Quinton Jefferson (replaced with Kinlaw) & Sheldon Rankins walk in back to back years without replacement. Also essentially benched Carl Lawson in 23 after he had a decent season in 2022 and let him go to the Cowboys and rack up 5 sacks as a part time pass rusher. Would’ve been 3rd on the team.
Looking towards the coming season, I have no problem with WMD being our designated pass rusher. I think he can rack up huge sack numbers if used correctly. However, I think starting him on run downs in 2025 will be asking for more unmerciful gashing on the ground from every one of our opponents. Wouldn’t it be better to draft a well rounded end in middle rounds who can hold the fort for a down or two until WMD comes in on passing downs?
The one good thing is that Glenn owes no allegiance to all of Douglas and Saleh's bad decisions, an hopefully he demotes McDonald to 3rd down pass rush duties only. McDonald and Sherwood are BOTH 20-30 lbs. light for their positions. No secret you could run on the jets all day.
For clarification, nothing personal was said in my post, nor was it insulting or condescending. It was a mere statement of fact.
and This is something that has irritated me for some time now. Yeah, all we hear is NFL is a passing league, yada yada yada.... My ass it is. Who won the Super Bowl last year and WHO made it happen? I rest my case. This team better figure out, FAST, how to stop the fucking run or I don't give a shit how good/bad Fields turns out to be, the Jets will get their asses kicked up and down the field if they show up with a run defense like they've had the last bunch of years. Pass rusher, pass rusher, pass rusher. Bullshit. There goes a dude like Myles Garrett on the way to the QB...wait...damn, Saquon just ripped off a 30 yard gash while Garrett was flailing in the wind. They-must-stop-the-run FIRST before they worry about the Mother F'n pass. Pisses me off.
True, but we don’t exactly have any other legitimate defensive ends on the roster. Jermaine Johnson is coming off an awful injury for his position and then we have Clemons who sucks and a bunch of nobodies behind them. It’s amazing how Douglas has turned what might’ve been the best unit in 2023 into a legitimate position of need.
Difference here is this staff decided JS was good enough to stay, paying him so there’s a plan for him here. Jets need some beef up front and a different philosophy on defense as a whole. Let’s hope this staff can coach and put these guys in better positions to succeed.
and, if the situation wasnt so dire, Clemons would be the first one cut because he is a bad football player
I wish we could get Emmanwori to play safety some how. A true sideline to sideline defender to cap off this secondary. But damn I doubt thats possible. He aint gonna be there in round 2, a trade down might do it but who is going to want to trade up to 7
I'm telling you... IF Sanders falls to 7, SOME IDIOT is going to want to trade up to get him. It happens every year. WHEN that happens, the Jets better be ready to take that trade in a heart beat. I'm with you on Emmanwori! That kid could solidify the safety position for the next decade. That guy is a beast!
if he falls to 7 take the trade and dont over think it. No need to be super greedy. A high second this year to trade down three spots would work. More if goes down beyond that.
Whenever these conversations come up, all I can think of is JFM getting traded for peanuts with no replacement. JJ (coming off major injury) and WMcD (big issues in run defense) carry risk as starters and the depth at DE is terrible. Still, I'd rather not invest a high pick in a DE given the other needs. I hope they bring in a guy like Emmanuel Ogbah, a veteran DE who plays strong run defense. Slim pickings out there, but right now Clemons is DE3....
Why not bring back Foley Fatukasi? Not sure if he’s been good the past couple years but the run D’s he’s been on have ranked 11, 9 and 12 in terms of yards the last three years.
As far as DE goes, what happened to a couple of those undrafted kids? Thoughts on McGregor and Watts? Any future there?
Great point. I'd honestly forgotten about Watts but I think he could potentially be that base, early-down end. McGregor played a bit but don't recall much of an impact. Maybe it's a smidge less of a need than I just said. Though some more depth would be ideal
I remember both of them flashing in pre-season and, the moment J.J. went down, I thought we would be O.K. But, as you said, didn't really see a ton out of them. I went back and looked. McGregor actually had the better year, if you can call it that. McGregor - 83 snaps, 6 tackles (3 solo, 3 assists) in 7 games Watts - 231 snaps, 13 tackles (7 solo, 6 assists) in 14 games Doesn't look all that impressive although, let's see what they do in year 2.
Will McDonald have a great year? Yes. If the Jets fill that hole in the middle and Jermaine Johnson returns to at least 80%. McDonald is quick and crafty but can be a liability in stopping the run. Hope he bulks up a little bit in the off season.
