The Jets had a very difficult 2023. They had one of the best defenses in the league but arguably the worst offense. Their season basically ended once Aaron Rodgers suffered his Achilles tear on opening night against the Bills. Coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas are both on the hot seat, causing them to make “win now” moves whenever they can.
Rodgers’ 2023 season was abruptly ended after four snaps due to an Achilles tear. The Jets made several offensive line moves in the off-season to beef up his protection, the most notable being the signing of left tackle Tyron Smith. Rodgers was not the most mobile of QBs at this point in his career, even before his injury, so watch him closely in minicamp to see if there are any lingering effects. If Rodgers is fully healthy and given protection by his OL, he does have a stud WR in Garrett Wilson, along with the newly acquired free agent Mike Williams, to sling it around to. The Jets also drafted the “YAC King” WR Malachi Corley, giving Rodgers yet another weapon in the WR corp. RB Breece Hall is another year removed from his ACL tear. Hall is explosive in the open field, giving Rodgers opportunities to pile up stats even on check-downs and screens. Rodgers is a QB2 with the potential to fall into the five to ten range of QBs in a perfect scenario.
As previously mentioned, Hall is another year removed from an ACL tear in his knee. He will be at full strength the whole season and serve as the bellcow RB. Dalvin Cook is gone, leaving just two rookies (Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis) and 2nd year man Israel Abanikabda behind him. Hall will be required to carry the load, so he should easily see 20-25 touches per game and finish as a top-three RB. By all accounts, Allen has looked very good in minicamp in both the running and receiving game and should be the handcuff to any Hall owners.
For those who drafted Wilson in the first-round last year thinking that he was going to breakout with Rodgers at QB, your year ended in Week 1 when Rodgers went down with an Achilles injury. Still, it might be a great idea to revisit Wilson as a first-round pick once again, as he is the unquestioned WR1 in the Jets’ offense. Malachi Corleyis a rookie, and Mike Williams is coming off his own major injury, so Wilson should get 125+ targets and be a focal point of the passing attack.
The Jets signed the 29-year-old Williams to a one-year contract this off-season. Williams is coming off a torn ACL and his status to start the season is still up in the air. Assuming Williams returns healthy, he will play second fiddle to star WR Garrett Wilson but should see plenty of single coverage with teams focusing their attention on Wilson. He will not see nearly as many targets being in the Jets offense as opposed to the Justin Herbert-led pass-happy Chargers offense. Many owners will draft him too high based on his reputation and his previous career numbers. Williams is best served as a solid WR3 with WR2 potential if Wilson misses any time or the Jets become more pass-happy than anticipated.
If Rodgers is healthy, the Jets offense should be much improved in 2024. Last year’s starter, former first-round pick Zach Wilson, was dreadful, dragging down everyone around him. Wilson is now in Denver, and Tyrod Taylorwas signed to backup Rodgers. Taylor is a respectable QB; the falloff would not be nearly as severe as last year if anything should happen to Rodgers. Wilson has managed to put up over 1,000 yards in his first two seasons despite absolutely horrendous QB play. If Rodgers is even remotely close to his old self, Wilson has top 5 potential. Keep your eyes on Corley as a late-round stash. The Jets considered him as the fourth-best receiver in the draft, trading up to secure him. He has drawn Deebo Samuel comparisons and will have a role in their offense.
