The NFL owners’ meetings were this week in Orlando, Fla., and we heard from Jets owner Woody Johnson, general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh.
Plenty of news came out of those interviews, from Johnson saying the team would not release Zach Wilson to Saleh saying the Jets have to win games, not just offseasons.
But I thought I would dig through everything that was said and bring you a few other topics that were discussed and what was said that didn’t make headlines.
On what the Jets have done this offseason…
Woody Johnson: “I’m pretty impressed. I think we’ve been very attentive to what we need. I think we’ve got some great players. The team is definitely better. There’s no question.”
Robert Saleh: “I thought Joe’s done a really nice job. It’s given us a lot of flexibility with regards to the draft. There’s still a lot of work to do, a lot of things that we need to accomplish but good so far.”
Joe Douglas: “I think this is an unbelievable O-line class. It’s an unbelievable class at quite a few positions. I think where we’re at now, we have great flexibility to go in any direction that is best for us moving forward. I think it opens the door to a lot of possibilities at [No.] 10.”
On the new-look offensive line…
Saleh: “From a mental makeup standpoint, really excited about the group. We know Morgan [Moses]. He’s a warrior. We’ll get to know Tyron [Smith] as we go. When he’s on the field, he’s pretty darn good. John Simpson, he’s a war daddy. We’re excited to get him in the building also.”
On new wide receiver Mike Williams, who is recovering from a torn ACL…
Saleh: “Mike, he’s got a long way to go. If he comes in and he puts in the work … he’s on the same timeline that Breece [Hall] had. They are very similar injuries, same timeframe. Just speaking with Mike, he knows he’s got a road to trek. At the same time, if he does it the right way, we’re very confident that we’ll have him ready for Week 1. …
“He’s a dynamic receiver. We’ve been a big fan of his for a while. You say 50/50 ball, but it’s more 70/30 when it goes up to him. He’s a dynamic athlete, a dynamic receiver, very confident when he goes up and gets the ball. Just to be that complement to Garrett and the rest of the receiver room will be a good deal.”
Douglas: “I would say he’s not going to be ready for the start of training camp. But there’s a lot of time. We’ll see how the rehab progresses. There’s a lot of checkpoints to hit, but we do feel confident that he’ll be ready for the year.”
On reports this offseason of dysfunction inside the Jets…
Saleh: “When you don’t achieve what you’re supposed to achieve, people are going to take their shots. That’s fine.
“I feel really good about where our organization is. Outside noise is outside noise. … The only way you’re going to change the narrative is by winning.”
On losing edge rusher Bryce Huff in free agency…
Saleh: “Elite, elite pass rusher. Closes games. People want to say all he does is rush the passer. All Mariano Rivera did was close ninth innings. He’s a pretty darn good pass rusher, and he’s going to be great for Philadelphia. …
“You’re always disappointed [when someone like that leaves]. When we first got here, we said our job was to make Joe D’s job hard in regards to signing guys. I’m really excited for Bryce and his opportunity.”
Douglas: “It’s tough to lose a player like Bryce that came in as an undrafted free agent, had really blossomed into a really good career. It’s part of the business. You can’t always keep every player. I’m happy for Bryce. I think he’s earned that contract. I think he’s going to do great moving forward.
“I think, for us, we had discussions with Bryce and Patrick Collins, his agent. It’s an unfortunate part of the business when you lose a player like Bryce, but ultimately, you can’t keep everybody.”
On whether Huff’s departure puts pressure on edge rusher Will McDonald…
Saleh: “I don’t think it puts pressure on Will. … For Will, he’s got to add a lot of strength and power. He’s got to add power to his football game. He’s got speed. He’s got a counter move inside. But when he learns to run through somebody’s face, he’s going to be a three-way pass rusher. No one will be able to block him at that point.”
On where things stand with wide receiver Corey Davis…
Saleh: “We’ll see. We’re in constant talks with him. Love CD. Tremendous athlete, tremendous man, tremendous locker-room presence. He knows how we all feel about him. Our door’s always going to be open for him.”
On wide receiver Allen Lazard…
Saleh: “He’s working his tail off. I know he’s coming back with a renewed mindset to fix a lot of wrongs.”
On expectations for the 2024 Jets…
Johnson: “I like to win games, like a lot of other owners. Losing games is not why we’re in it. We’re in it to win games, whether it’s the players or the fans. … We’re trying to put a team together. I think we’ve made some really good progress to make that happen.”
On raising ticket prices after another losing season…
Johnson: “The cost of doing business has just gone up. That’s just an unfortunate fact of life now. That’s not something you like to do, that’s for sure. We work for the fans, so we listen to them. We know what they’re thinking. We’ll try to get you some wins.”
On possibly drafting a quarterback with the No. 10 pick…
Douglas: “I’m not going to get into whether we’re going to take a quarterback at 10 or not. I left the door open in terms of we have a lot of flexibility. If there is a player that we feel helps the Jets, we have the flexibility to do that. We’re thinking not only for this year but for future, too. Ultimately, we want to do what’s best for the 2024 Jets as well.”
To-do list
Looking at the Jets roster as March turns to April, the team still has holes to fill. Douglas has filled the biggest with his offensive line acquisitions and by signing Williams to be the No. 2 wide receiver.
But here are other positions that still need work:
Safety: Right now, Chuck Clark and Tony Adams are the starters. Clark is coming off a torn ACL. Ashtyn Davis remains a free agent and still could return to the Jets as the No. 3 safety. This is also a position that could get addressed in the draft.
Running back: They are set with Breece Hall as their starter, but they need to add someone to join Israel Abanikanda as a reserve. I could see the Jets waiting until after free agency and signing someone such as Ezekiel Elliott to be the veteran in the room with Hall and Abanikanda.
Edge rusher: The loss of Huff in free agency to the Eagles means the Jets need to add another edge rusher to go with McDonald and Jermaine Johnson. They have talked to Shaq Barrett and Jadeveon Clowney, but both of them went elsewhere. Saleh loves having a stable of edge rushers. It feels as if this will be a veteran signing and not something addressed in the draft.
Stat’s so
McDonald is going to enter the 2024 season with big expectations after Huff departed as a free agent. McDonald, who was the No. 15 overall pick last year, is going to have to make up for some of Huff’s production.
Plenty of Jets defenders have had strong second seasons. Here is a look at the most sacks by Jets players in their second season:
T-1. John Abraham, 2001: 13 sacks
T-1. Dennis Byrd, 1990: 13 sacks
3. Verlon Biggs, 1966: 12.5 sacks
4. Mark Gastineau, 1980: 11.5 sacks
5. John Elliott, 1968: 10 sacks
T-6. Hugh Douglas, 1996: 8 sacks
T-6. Joe Klecko, 1978: 8 sacks
T-6. Sheldon Richardson, 2014: 8 sacks
9. Jermaine Johnson, 2023: 7.5 sacks
T-10. John Little, 1971: 7 sacks
T-10. Leonard Williams, 2016: 7 sacks
T-10. Quinnen Williams, 2020: 7 sacks
Source: Stathead
