This offseason, Joe Douglas has become more like Joe O’Grass. His focus was not on D.
It’s been clear since January that the Jets would look to improve their offense this offseason after seeing their offense stumble in recent years. That mission continued in the draft, with Douglas using his first five draft picks on offensive players.
On paper, the Jets’ offense looks vastly improved compared to the past few years. It all starts with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, of course, and Jets fans are well aware that a team that looks one-sided on paper in the spring doesn’t necessarily look that way on the field in the fall. Rodgers’ injury on the fourth play of last season ruined the 2023 version of this team on paper.
But the Jets’ offensive rebuild is about more than just hoping Rodgers stays healthy this season. Douglas is improving its offensive line with several players with injury and age concerns, but tackles Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses have the potential for steals if they stay on the field. They then added Olu Fashanu, a first-round draft pick, as insurance in case a tackle failed.
At receiver, the Jets took another step in free agency by acquiring Mike Williams, who is out from a torn ACL and has the potential to hit home runs when healthy. They added Malachi Coley as a potential slot receiver in the third round of the draft, and now the Jets are adding to the weapons Rodgers has around him, from Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall to Tyler Conklin, Coley and Williams. I’m quite satisfied.
Will it work?
You’ll know when the season comes. But owner Woody Johnson is clearly tired of watching the defense hit on all cylinders while the offense backfires week in and week out.
“It’s really all about offense,” Johnson said in February. “The last five years it’s been about offense. The offense has to score goals and keep the defense off the field. The defense is good.”
Johnson isn’t lying. The Jets haven’t ranked in the top 10 in offensive yards per game since 2015. They haven’t had more than 25 yards since. They were 31 years old last year. The defense, on the other hand, has finished in the top 10 three times in the past five years, and in the top five each of the past two years.
The Jets have gone through nine different offensive coordinators over the past 13 seasons. They’ve gone through 15 different starting quarterbacks in that time. The only consistent thing about the offense that has overcome its playoff drought is its instability.
The Jets are actually hoping their offense can play a little more like their defense. They preach violence on defense, and judging by some of these draft picks, they want to add that to their offense as well. Corey is known as the “YAC King” for the number of yards he gained after the catch. If you watch his film at Western Kentucky, he runs over defenders and plays with a toughness that the Jets covet.
“I think we played a joke on Joe,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said. “If Joe had a relative sitting at the finish line, he would run over him too.”
The Jets then acquired another player they hope will bring physicality to the offense in Braylon Allen, a 235-pound fourth-round running back who can punish tacklers.
The key, of course, is a healthy and capable Rodgers, who will bring a unique edge to the offense.
With the heavy lifting of roster construction done, Douglas appears to have effectively upgraded the offense. Then again, April’s looks can be deceiving. But maybe, just maybe, this season the Jets will have an offense that can match their defense.
