The NFL regular season is finally over after months of endless analysis, talk and stupidity. We will get real football.
For the Jets, it starts on Monday against the defending NFC champion 49ers. The Jets entered this season with high expectations. There is talk of this being a Super Bowl contender and at least a playoff team.
We all know that the season hinges on the health of Aaron Rodgers and the growth of young stars like Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall and Sauce Gardner. But today I want to highlight five players who will play a critical role in the 2024 Jets. How they do that will have an impact on how far the Jets go this season.
This is a group of five players who are all veterans and some with impressive NFL résumés. Can everyone deliver for Jet this year? Here are five (in alphabetical order):
Chuck Clark, Safety
I spoke with someone from the Jets earlier this summer and he pointed to Clark tearing his ACL in the last OTA game of 2023 as the first sign of trouble that year. The Jets were excited about Clark after acquiring him in a trade from the Ravens and he missed the entire season.
Clark is back and starting at strong safety. The Jets remain excited about what Clark can do and feel he is an upgrade over Jordan Whitehead. The biggest question for me about Clark is how he responds after missing the entire season. That sometimes affects players more than we appreciate. He’s also 29 years old and while he’s been a steady performer for the Ravens, he hasn’t been spectacular. The Jets defense has quite a few holes, but safety could be one.
Jermaine Johnson, Defensive End
Johnson had a breakout season for the Jets last year with 7 ½ sacks in his sophomore season. Johnson will be overshadowed by fellow 2022 first-rounders Wilson and Gardner, but he’ll be just as important this year as the two.
The Jets lost Bryce Huff, John Franklin-Myers and Quinton Jefferson this offseason and they contributed 19 ½ sacks last year. Haason Reddick remains a no-show. That leaves Johnson as the Jets’ best edge rusher. Last season was a great jump for Johnson, but can he do more now? Can it be a double digit sack man? This could be just what the Jets need to keep their defense among the best in the league.
CJ Mosley, Linebacker
It feels blasphemous to even question Mosley, who has quietly established himself as an all-time Jet over the last three years. But…he is now 32 years old. It is extremely hard to maintain a high level of linebacker as age creeps in. At some point, Mosley will have a drop-off in the play. The Jets hope it doesn’t come this year.
Tyron Smith, Left Tackle
The biggest part of Joe Douglas’ offensive line rebuild was the signing of the former Cowboys star. The eight-time Pro Bowler looked good in training camp. The question with Smith is always whether he can stay on the field. He hasn’t played a full season since 2015. The 33-year-old played in 13 games last year after playing in a combined 17 games over the past three years.
The Jets will be careful with Smith’s practice time and try to manage him through the season. I have a feeling the Jets offense will look different if Smith has to miss time and rookie Olu Fashanu takes over at left tackle.
Mike Williams, Wide Receiver
The Jets signed Williams to a one-year, $10 million contract in March with hopes that he could be a complement to Wilson who was lacking last season. Williams comes with a lot of risk. He turns 30 in October and is coming off a torn ACL in September 2023. Williams missed almost all of training camp but the Jets expect him to be available for at least the start of the season. It seems unlikely that Williams will be healthy for a few weeks.
Williams has 1,146 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 2021. The Jets do not need someone to recapture the form of having a good offense. They will get 75 percent of the production.
