It’s a rite of NFL March Madness, angry fan base pulling the hair out of their heads because their team is on their hands while a competitor goes wild on a frenzied free agent buying frenzy.
And so there was the poor jet fan on Monday afternoon, watching Bill BeliCHECK dive headlong into the waters of the free agents – Jonnu Smith, Matthew Judon, Davon Godchaux, Jalen Mills, Kendrick Bourne, Nelson Agholor and Henry Anderson – so desperately that you thought he was being fueled by Tom Brady who left him and won a seventh Super Bowl without him or something.
Every time BeliCHECK struck, it got harder for the Jet fan to forget that Le’Veon Bell turned out to be a classic cautionary story about the risks associated with the free hand. Patience can be a virtue when the rush home begins.
Now, Jets GM Joe Douglas doesn’t seem like a man who might feel compelled to swim in shark-infested waters just because BeliCHECK did, rather like a man who had done his homework, who knew who he wanted, and at the price he wanted, wanted her.
With all his design capital and philosophy of building by design, Douglas didn’t have to be so desperate be what BeliCheck seemed to be, and neither was he.
He was opportunistic and prudent, adding three young aspiring players, none of whom were over 26 years old.
Free agency is always a « buyers attention » suggestion, and it may be a matter of luck, but these are by no means Douglas games of chance.
WR Corey Davis (3 years, $ 37.5 million, $ 27 million guaranteed ), the fifth choice of the 2017 NFL Draft, right ahead of Jamal Adams, has one Career year (65-984-5 TDs) behind him with Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee. In the worst case, he’s a # 2 recipient and a complement to Denzel Mims. At best, he will develop into the Go To Guy for whoever the Jets quarterback is.
DE Carl Lawson (3 years, 45 million US dollars, 30 million US dollars guaranteed) gives the new Jets HC Robert Saleh an edge Rusher. He’s not John Abraham or Joe Klecko or Mark Gastineau, maybe more like Jeff Lageman, who picked up 10 bags one time and 8.5 bags another time. Lawson recorded 8.5 sacks as a rookie in 2017 and had 32 quarterback hits a year ago. The Bengals wanted to keep him.
LB Jarrad Davis, who designed 16 picks after Corey Davis, showed lightning bolts to the Lions but suffered an ankle injury in 2019 and had less than 30 percent of the snaps on the field last season . But he’s proven to be an effective speed camera (6 bags in 2018) and can prove himself under Saleh in a one-year proof-it deal worth up to $ 7 million.
Lawson is cheaper than Judon ( 4 years, $ 56 million, $ 32 million guaranteed) and three years younger. Judon recorded 34.5 sacks in 76 games. Lawson recorded 20 sacks in 51 games.
Belichick improved his pace with WR Nelson Agholor (2 years, $ 26 million) and landed an all-round wideout for Cam Newton at Kendrick Bourne (3 years, US $ 22.5 million) -Dollar).
« You can see his size, his skill level, his toughness. He’s ready to play in high traffic areas, « said Rob Moore, coach for Titans Wide Receivers, last September.
Douglas met at the feet of former Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome, who was the best in the business. Douglas waited in the weeds until he couldn’t wait for Lawson after Judon, Yannick Ngakoue, and Bud Dupree were off the market. Patience is not a virtue when you like a guy enough and you run the risk of running out of space in the game of musical Edge Rushers.
A long way to go for the Jets. But a good start. The early fear for the jet fan was to give way to a Jump for Joy in Jetville. One jump for Joe.
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