When will the Jets make an addition to their linebacker unit?
So far this offseason, the linebacker unit is the only one on offense or defense where the Jets haven't brought anyone in. At quarterback and running back they just re-signed a couple of backups but at linebacker, the group hasn't been added to at all since the end of the season.
There were a couple of outgoing players, as the Jets allowed Jarrad Davis to walk and managed to get a draft pick from the Texans for Blake Cashman. They also opted not to re-sign Noah Dawkins, who ended up with the Bears. However, it is perhaps surprising that they haven't made a single move to add to this group yet.
Part of this might be that the group already includes some young players with the potential to develop and improve this season. However, the Jets couldn't possibly be happy to head into the season with this group, could they?
The answer is certainly no - and with multiple high picks in the upcoming draft the least we can expect them to do is add at least one and perhaps even as many as three rookies to the mix.
Of course, they did the same thing last year, drafting Jamien Sherwood and Hamsah Nasirildeen on day three. Both got opportunities to play early on in the season with Davis out injured but neither stepped up and each suffered injuries, with Sherwood's torn Achilles putting his status for training camp up in the air.
In the end, both were overtaken in the pecking order by Quincy Williams, another young player on his rookie deal who was a late waiver claim after preseason. Williams had his ups and downs initially but eventually settled into a starting role within which he was productive.
Based on last season, the two biggest questions are whether the Jets are going to give up already on either of last year's rookies and how sold they are on Williams.
The Jets will hope Sherwood and Nasirildeen take a step forward in 2022, although this will be harder for Sherwood coming off an injury. They both looked more comfortable when in a situational role rather than playing full time and Nasirildeen made some good special teams contributions. It seems a little hasty to move on from these players already but the Jets are trying to rebuild and don't really have time to bring along players who take a while to develop.
As for Williams, head coach Robert Saleh's comments that he's a potential pro bowler got lots of attention, but at the same time he had acknowledged there were things Williams would need to get better at.
Heading into the draft, the Jets might not be targeting someone who can be an immediate upgrade over Williams if they like his long-term potential. Instead, they might like to bring in someone who could be worked in gradually and then potentially take over from veteran CJ Mosley as he heads into his thirties.
Mosley is obviously a leader but it's unclear how much longer he'll be with the team and what his contractual status will look like after this season.
Behind Mosley and the three youngsters is Del'Shawn Phillips, who improbably played all 17 games despite not making the initial roster. Phillips, who offers some special teams value as he was tied for the team lead in special teams tackles, exploited the fact that there were so many injuries to this group.
Finally, rounding out the group is Javin White, who is a bit of an unknown quantity but the Jets poached him from the Raiders because they fancied a closer look.
So, there are some pieces here that the Jets may like and therefore they might not make too many additions to this group. However, it's inevitable they address this need in the draft and they have shown interest in linebackers (and safeties that could potentially convert) during the pre-draft process.
A few more young additions could add even more upside to the group, but ultimately some players will need to step up for this group to fare better in 2022 than it did last year.