After months of endless analysis, discussion and pointless chatter, the NFL regular season is finally here, and it's time for some real football to begin.
The Jets kick off Monday with a matchup against the defending NFC champion 49ers. The Jets have high expectations for this season, with rumors pointing to them being a Super Bowl contender and at the very least a playoff contender.
We all know this season will depend on the health of Aaron Rodgers and the development of young stars like Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall and Sauce Gardner, but today I want to introduce five players who will play key roles for the Jets in 2024. Their performance will determine how the Jets do this season.
All five of these players are veterans, some with impressive NFL resumes. Can they all perform for the Jets this year? Here are the five (in alphabetical order):
Chuck Clark, Safety
I spoke with Jets officials earlier this summer and they pointed to Clark tearing his ACL on the final play of the 2023 OTAs as the first sign of trouble for the year. The Jets had high hopes for Clark after acquiring him in a trade from the Ravens, but he then missed the entire season.
Clark is back and is the starting strong safety. The Jets continue to look to Clark for what he can do and feel he is better than Jordan Whitehead. The biggest question for me with Clark is how he will respond after missing an entire season. It has a bigger impact on a player than we expect. He is 29 years old and has always been a solid player for the Ravens but has not been outstanding. There are very few holes in the Jets defense, but safety could be one of them.
Jermaine Johnson, defensive end
Johnson had a breakout season with the Jets last year, recording 7.5 sacks in his sophomore season. He's been in the shadow of 2022 first-round draft picks Wilson and Gardner, but he could be just as important as those two this year.
The Jets lost Bryce Huff, John Franklin-Myers and Quinton Jefferson this offseason, who recorded 19.5 sacks last year. Haason Reddick remains missing, so Johnson is the Jets' best edge rusher. Last season was a nice jump for Johnson, but can he do more now? Can he become a double-digit sack player? That may be what the Jets need to remain the best defense in the league.
CJ Mosley, linebacker
It feels almost sacrilegious to even question Mosley, who has quietly established himself as the Jets' all-time star over the past three years. But he's 32 now. It's very hard to maintain a high level as a linebacker as you get older. At some point, Mosley's play will decline. The Jets are hoping that doesn't happen this year.
Tyron Smith, left tackle
The biggest accomplishment of Joe Douglas's rebuild of his offensive line was the signing of the former Cowboys star. The eight-time Pro Bowler had a strong start in training camp. The question always remains whether Smith will stay on the field. He hasn't played a full season since 2015. The 33-year-old Smith has appeared in a total of 17 games over the past three years, but only 13 last year.
The Jets will be careful with Smith's practice time and will try to manage him throughout the season, but I feel the Jets' offense will look different with Smith out and rookie Olu Fashanu taking over at left tackle.
Mike Williams, wide receiver
The Jets signed Williams to a one-year, $10 million contract in March to fill in for Wilson, who sat out last season. Williams comes with a lot of risk. He turns 30 in October and suffered a torn ACL in September 2023. Williams missed most of training camp, but the Jets expect him to be available at least for the start of the season. Williams is likely weeks away from being fully healthy.
Williams had 1,146 yards receiving and nine touchdowns in 2021. The Jets don't need him to get that back to work to have a good offense; they'll be happy with 75% of that production.
