NY Jets: 2020 Season Outlook

The Adam Gase era is over, fizzling out with a whimper.

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Gut-wrenching is the only word I can think of to describe the Jets’ 2-14 season. The Jets managed to be the least talented team in football while also missing out on the number 1 pick, and subsequently the QB of a generation. That’s right, barring any unforeseen events, Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence, compared to greats like John Elway and Andrew Luck, will head to Jacksonville. It didn’t have to be this way. The Jets were 0-13 heading into Week 15. There had been some close calls (namely a game against the Raiders that would have been their first win had defense coordinator Gregg Williams not dialed up a Cover-0 Blitz in a Hail Mary situation) but it looked like the Jets were just terrible enough to secure the number one pick. Instead, they rallied off two straight wins to kiss their sweet Trevor goodbye.

Now Jets fans have to ask themselves: Where do we go from here? It’s no secret the Jets were a bad football team. They might even be historically bad. They finished dead last in total yards and total points, even managing a Week 7 game where they produced 4 total yards in the second half. Their defense was bad, bottom 10th in the league, but not horrible. Marcus Maye has established himself as a talented safety and Neville Hewitt turned out to be a pretty productive linebacker. The two are free agents heading into this offseason and the Jets should make it a priority to resign them. DT Quinnen Williams improved in his second year and linebacker CJ Mosley will return for next season, giving the Jets a solid core to build around.

Don’t get me wrong, the Jets defense was by no means good this year, but it was also not the reason they were a borderline unwatchable football team. That credit goes to the offense. The Jets offense averaged 279.9 yards per game, another league worst. Let’s put that stat into perspective. The league average was 359 YPG and the next worst team was a full 20 yards above the Jets. Going into the season, they had two proven offensive talents: RB Le’Veon Bell and WR Jamison Crowder. Head coach Adam Gase underused Bell to the tune of 19 carries and 74 yards over two games before trading him to Kansas City. Crowder started promising enough with 3 straight games of 10+ receptions and 100+ yards, but he fell off a cliff and never came close to replicating that production. As far as the young talent goes, WR Denzel Mims was injured and inconsistent in his first year, failing to record 5 catches in a game all season. LT Mekhi Becton seemed to be the only bright spot. He actually led offensive tackles in Pro Bowl voting but was not named to the Pro Bowl, but that’s a story for another time. As Luca mentioned in one of our pods, the guy already has highlight reels. That's not something you see every day out of an offensive tackle.

Mekhi Becton (left) and Marcus Maye (right) were two bright spots on a lackluster Jets team

The biggest issue with the Jets remains the quarterback. In his third year where Darnold was attempting to make the leap from mediocre to good, he had the worst year of his short career that leaves the Jets with more questions than answers. This is not to say it’s all Darnold’s fault. His O-Line certainly didn’t do him any favors as he was pressured on 27.5% of snaps. However, 35 year-old Joe Flacco’s success behind that same O-Line does raise questions about Darnold’s effectiveness. This offseason, the Jets will be presented with a choice. They can keep Darnold or use their #2 pick to draft a promising young QB not named Trevor Lawrence. There is a third option that involves offering a bunch of draft picks to Houston and hoping they give you Deshaun Watson, and while it’s not our of the realm of possibility, the Texans aren’t budging on Deshaun just yet. So Jets fans, what positives can you take away from this season? First and foremost, the cancer that is "QB Guru" Adam Gase is gone. You’ve hired the energetic former 49ers D-Coordinator Robert Salah. He seems to be a great fit for New York and a breath of fresh air after the 2 year garbage fire of Adam Gase. Your defense is solid, your left tackle is already being called a future hall of famer, and you have draft picks up the wazoo. And for what it’s worth, as Gianfranco Iacobucci can tell you, your punter Braden Mann has a boot. Do with that what you will.

On a team devoid of talent, rookie punter Braden Mann might just be the most exciting player.