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There was absolutely nothing wrong with making the move . . .
Talking about the Jets signing edge-rusher Jacob Martin in free agency.
The former Houston Texan, Seattle Seahawk and Temple Owl signed a three-year contract for $13.5 million with $6 million guaranteed.
Nothing wrong with that. He can help the Jets in their defensive end rotation.
But this should have no bearing on how they approach the draft. They still need to get a game-wrecking pass rusher who other teams need to game-plan for. Martin is a decent player, but he’s not that.
He has 13.5 sacks in four seasons, one year in Seattle and three in Houston.
It’s kind of ironic that his last stop was Houston because this move is a little bit like the trade for Shaq Lawson last summer, who came over from the Texans – a move to help their pass rush, but not necessarily the magic potion to take it to a high level.
It’s very, very rare that a pass rusher who didn’t put up big sack numbers in college or in their first few years in the NFL, will all of sudden become Mark Gastineau.
Don’t get me wrong. Martin can help the Jets, but he’s not the panacea for their pass rush.
They still need to grab a pass rusher with the fourth or 10th pick. Of course with a player picked in either of those slots, there are no guarantees that person will solve the issue, but pass rusher with an elite skill-set to rush the passer – explosive first-step quickness, loose hips to bend the edge, a coterie of pass rush moves and great hand technique, those kind of guys don’t last long in the draft.
The Buffalo Bills just gave Von Miller a monster contract to improve their edge-rush. Miller was picked with the second pick overall by the Denver Broncos in the 2011 draft. Cleveland’s Myles Garrett, who has 58.5 career sacks in five years, including 16 last year, was the first pick overall in the 2017 draft. So you usually have to grab these guys early. This isn’t to say you never get a game-wrecker after the first round. Tampa Bay’s Shaq Barrett was actually an undrafted free agent. He has 37.5 sacks the last three years.
But generally, you’ve got to grab these “planet players” as former Giants GM, the late George Young would call them, very early. In other words, there aren’t a lot of guys like Miller and Garrett on the planet. Young picked Lawrence Taylor with the second pick overall in the 1981 draft, and he turned into perhaps the greatest pass rusher of all time.
So even with the signing of Martin, and the return of Carl Lawson, the Jets still need to get a pass rusher high in the draft. Lawson is coming off a torn Achilles injury, not an ideal malady for an edge-rusher (or anyone), and has also had a couple of serious knee injuries over the years. We will see if these myriad lower body injuries impact his burst, but even at full speed, he’s never had big sack numbers. He’s a disrupter, no doubt, but due to some hip stiffness, not a preeminent closer.
So if Oregon’s Kayvon Thidodeaux slips to four, and the Jets are okay with the motor concerns some scouts have, the need to grab him.
The Martin signing should have no bearing on their mindset entering this draft.
They run a front-driven defense. They need to get more pressure on the QB for this system to function on a high level.
May 18, 2022
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