The regular season is finally here. This is a crucial season for the Jets. No more waiting – it’s an unofficial win-now mandate.
They have the quarterback. They have the roster around him. They believe they have the staff.
So: Win.
Will they do that?
Let’s open the mailbag to discuss this and more…
Do you think this Haason Reddick situation will continue into the regular season? – @FiggyNYK
I’ll tell you what I’ve been told every time I’ve checked in: There’s a chance he’ll report in the next 24 hours, and there’s an equal chance he won’t report at all. It’s a real old-fashioned stalemate. I’ve reached out to a few sources who know Reddick, and they believe that if he really wants to sit out, he’ll sit out the entire year. He’s not a player who’s swayed by public opinion. Logic dictates that he’ll eventually turn this around, but in this case, you just don’t know.
I see this from both sides: The Jets don’t want to commit money to a player who hasn’t committed to them yet. It sends a bad message to the locker room to trade a player, that player demands a new contract, and then you pay him when you have guys like DJ Reed also want a new deal. But if you’re Reddick, what do you have to prove? You’re not a schlub. This guy has double digit sacks every year for the last four years. If the Jets want proof…they can turn on the movie. I get why he doesn’t want to lift any weights until he at least gets his unguaranteed but guaranteed. Don’t take the chance.
I think that will carry over into the regular season because that’s the only time the impact can change. The Jets insist they can do just fine without him. Reddick says he’s willing to sit out the year. The latter is very fluid, but the former only changes if there’s concrete evidence Wil McDonald, Jermaine JohnsonAnd Michael Clemmons are not enough. That can happen if they don’t sniff Brock Purdy in week 1.
Once it is clear that Reddick is not a luxury but a necessity, he and his representatives can demand the contract he desires. Until then, however, it is a matter of waiting.
What will Olu Fashanu’s role be this year? Will he just be an injury replacement, or can they throw him in for a spin here and there? – @jasonarcewang
Consistency is everything with an offensive line. The Jets are hoping that they Tyron Smith, John Simpson, Joe Tippmann, Alijah Vera-Tucker And Morgan Moses there for the first snap…and none of them come out unless they’re resting starters for the playoffs. I suppose if there are games where the Jets have a significant lead, there’s a chance they’ll give Fashanu some experience, but that’s about it. They’re not going to rotate their tackles. He’ll be the swing player in jumbo formations and a great insurance policy.
The Jets tried to move up in the draft—you could see that on Hard Knocks . They wanted a receiver. That player would have started Week 1 and contributed more in Year 1. When that wasn’t possible, Douglas pivoted and did the smart thing. Smith hasn’t played a full season since 2015. Moses, while durable throughout his career, began to fall apart last year. That’s usually the beginning of the end for linemen over 32 (see Duane Brown). Ideally, both guys stay healthy. If not, now you have someone you can put in and lose nothing.
Fashanu had a very good camp. Honestly, after speaking to multiple sources, they claim he would have been a starter if almost any other team had selected him.
Do you think the Jets would have been better off if they had drafted Broderick Jones (offensive tackle, Steelers) last year and taken a pass rusher this year? – @jasonoki
Last year, the player who played receiver for the Jets.
I’ve discussed this with members of their coaching staff and front office. This is not a revisionist theory either. There’s a clip of me on SNY’s draft show saying the exact same thing at the time they selected McDonald. They explained to me why they selected him. They knew they were probably going to lose Bryce Huff And Carl Lawson was in the last year of his contract. They figured they were going to play a lot of leads, so he was going to be a situational rusher in year 1 and a starter in year 2. That’s fine. But receiver was a much more pressing need.
The Jets would be a better team now if they had chosen Jordan Addison, Zay Bloemen or Jaxon Smith-Njigba, re-signed Huff, held John Franklin-Myers, and Fashanu were drafted. That was the game. Now they are still looking for a long-term pair for Garrett Wilson.
What role do you think we’ll see Braelon Allen in? – @horusnhigh
This is a fascinating question. I’ve been wrestling with this all summer. I don’t know the answer. This violation will continue Breece Hall – I’ve been told that on a very reliable source. But Allen is legitimately good. He’s gotten better and better over the summer. You want to see him on the field … but you don’t want to take Hall off the field either. It’s a really good problem to have.
I think you’ll see a 70-30, 60-40 split early in the season. The goal is to keep Hall healthy all year and fresh for a playoff run. He’ll still be the centerpiece, but there’s not a terrible drop-off when Allen comes in.
I want to make this clear: Hall is a much more explosive player, but this is not like when Michael Voerman ran inside to take pictures.
