The New York Jets are coming off of yet another losing season, as Adam Gase’s first year as head coach ended with a 7-9 record. It was somewhat of a step in the right direction, however, as the Jets finished with their best record since 2015 and it also marked the first time in four years that they didn’t finish in last place in the AFC East, but they were clearly hoping for something more. In addition to that, in games that franchise QB Sam Darnold played in, the Jets finished with a winning record (7-6).
Injuries were a big factor in how the 2019 season went, but those players are now back healthy and general manager Joe Douglas made some interesting selections in the 2020 NFL Draft. Among those are offensive tackle Mekhi Becton out of Louisville, wide receiver Denzel Mims out of Baylor, running back Lamical Perine out of Florida and the underrated cornerback out of Virginia — Bryce Hall.
Gase and Douglas are expecting all of these players to come in and make an impact on the Jets in 2020, but they especially have high hopes for Becton, who they selected with the No. 11 overall pick. The 6-foot-7, 364-pounder was a monster on the offensive line for Louisville. He started double-digit games at right tackle in his freshman season before eventually moving over to left tackle and garnering First Team All-ACC honors during his junior season. This draft class featured several talented offensive tackles, but Becton was widely considered to be the most athletic of the group. While it remains to be determined what side Becton will play on during his rookie season, he hopefully will soon become Darnold’s blindside blocker for years to come.
During a recent Zoom call with reporters earlier this week, Becton revealed that he has two goals he would like to accomplish during his rookie season. One of those goals seems more obtainable than the other, however.
“I want to start as a rookie and I want to make the playoffs,” Becton said, via the North Jersey Record.
Becton has a pretty good chance to start come Week 1 of the regular season, but as for reaching the playoffs — that’s a pretty lofty goal. The last time the Jets made the postseason was when Rex Ryan was the head coach back in 2010. New York went 11-5 with Mark Sanchez under center and made it all the way to the AFC Conference Championship game, where they fell to Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Since that playoff loss, the Jets have only recorded one winning season.
When you look at the roster, it actually looks solid — at least on paper. Darnold still appears to be the quarterback of the future, Le’Veon Bell, Frank Gore and Perine make up an interesting backfield and the Jets also have a couple of intriguing wideouts in Jamison Crowder, Breshad Perriman and Mims. The offensive line has been upgraded as well, and the Jets also picked up some interesting pieces on defense in free agency. Pierre Desir and Patrick Onwuasor are a couple of underrated additions and New York is still reportedly in the running for former Tennessee Titans cornerback Logan Ryan.
If you’re now feeling optimistic about the Jets’ roster heading into the 2020 season, you’ll quickly lose that feeling when you see their regular-season schedule. Earlier this offseason, CBS Sports NFL writer John Breech broke down the 2020 strength of schedule for all 32 NFL teams based on combined opponent winning percentage in 2019. Despite finishing third place in the AFC East, the Jets will face the second-hardest strength of schedule in 2020. For a complete look at every team’s strength of schedule, check out Breech’s breakdown here.
Even when you base the strength of schedule on the over/under win totals for each team’s opponents during the 2020 season at William Hill Sportsbook, the Jets’ path doesn’t change much. New York will go from facing the second-toughest schedule in the league to facing the third-toughest. For a complete look at every team’s strength of schedule using this methodology, check out CBS Sports NFL writer Jared Dubin’s full breakdown here.
While Tom Brady is no longer with the New England Patriots, that doesn’t mean that the Jets will now be able to sweep the season series against Bill Belichick. Additionally, the Buffalo Bills appear set to record another double-digit win campaign and the Miami Dolphins had a monster offseason which included acquiring a new quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa. It is of course too early to try to predict how every single divisional game will go, but what if I proposed to you a guaranteed 3-3 record in divisional play. Would you take it? For the record, New York went 2-4 against AFC East opponents in 2019.
Many are expecting the Jets to lose their first handful of games to begin the season, as they get the Bills in Week 1, followed by the San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos and then a revamped Arizona Cardinals team. A couple of other teams they face are the Kansas City Chiefs on the road in Week 8 and then the Seattle Seahawks on the road in Week 14.
It’s possible that the Jets show some kind of improvement in 2020, but there’s a reason William Hill set the over/under for wins this season at 6.5. Only five NFL teams have worse odds than the Jets. You have to respect Becton for saying that reaching the postseason in year one is a goal of his, but unfortunately, it may be wishful thinking.
