The New York Jets offense is in a state of perpetual mediocrity. Their defense is among the best in football. That struggling balance on a week-to-week basis continues to cost them games.
Sound familiar?
A year removed from a 7-10 mark highlighted by three different quarterback changes throughout the season, New York is in danger of having history repeat itself just 12 months later.
At 4-4, the Jets have one of the worst offenses in football this season. They rank dead-last in red-zone and third-down efficiency. Their passing offense is among the worst across the league, and there’s very little reason to believe that it can change anytime soon.
The more things change, the more things stay the same.
Head coach Robert Saleh is at a crossroads in his coaching career. No one blames him for the lack of luck that has seen Aaron Rodgers, Alijah Vera-Tucker, and several other offensive players get hurt due to Achilles injuries. The lack of adjustments made by the team after those injuries, though, is where many fans and analysts have drawn their ire. The Jets need changes in their offensive group. Most changes can be made leading to next week’s contest against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The only question is if the coaching staff, and especially Saleh, are willing enough to make them.
Get Aggressive in Play-calls
Arguably the top problem facing this Jets offense is not at the quarterback position, despite what many believe. Nathaniel Hackett and Todd Downing are smart offensive minds, but they are approaching this offensive unit with kid gloves – hoping the players don’t make mistakes and lack the aggressiveness to go for wins. That’s all well and good for a few weeks, but to win in the modern NFL, coaches have to stretch the field.
The only way this Jets offense gets fixed is if their coaching staff lets the quarterback (whoever it is) rip the ball downfield without any concerns. New York is targeting both Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson (their top playmakers) a lot which is good, but this offense is stuck in the mud as long as the coaching staff treated the entire group like a Pop Warner team.
It seems, from Saleh at least, that the Jets are looking for ways to get that improvement.
“You have to look inward from a coaching staff standpoint, and I’ll give those guys credit, they felt like they are searching,” Saleh said Tuesday. “We went a little bit more no-huddle this week, trying to spark the offense so they’re searching, they’re scratching their clawing, they’re trying to turn over every stone, and eventually, you hope we find our groove.”
The longer these struggles go on though, the more likely a change in play-caller might be needed.
Adjust Offensive Line Based on In-Game Results, Not Relationships
A big problem that this Jets coaching staff has is their loyalty to older veterans. Billy Turner has been here for one off-season, and because of his relationship with the coaching staff, moved Max Mitchell to right guard instead of at tackle where he was a serviceable replacement to AVT. Mitchell struggled mightily in Monday night’s loss to the Chargers.
The same can be said for Duane Brown as well.
While Brown is expected to return to the field soon, most assume he will replace Mekhi Becton at left tackle and move him to the right side. This, among many things, is a major issue. Becton is seen as the future of the offensive line on the left side and to shunt him off says more about the coaching staff caring about relationships than results.
If New York wants to play a veteran like Brown, they should have him preparing to play on the right side instead of adjusting two different positions – it’s a recipe for disaster when you add in Becton’s injury history on the right side.
When players are given jobs without earning them, that can cause a rift within the locker room. While that hasn’t happened for Saleh, the importance of relationships with some of these older veterans is a reason why this offense is still stuck in the mud.
Call-Up Israel Abanikanda, make Dalvin Cook a healthy scratch
Speaking of relationships.
The Dalvin Cook signing has blown up in the Jets’ faces. While it was a nice idea before the season started, the longer Cook is on the field, the more the offense struggles to find a legitimate identity. New York needs an infusion of speed and talent – something fourth-round rookie running back Israel Abanikanda has.
Izzy has been a healthy scratch in every game this year – something many people understood would happen when Cook decided to come here. If this offense is to do anything significant though, they need as much speed on the field as possible. Abanikanda made a career at Pitt for being a player who can produce all over the field.
It’s no longer about making sure the veterans in the locker room are happy – it’s about winning. Until this team changes some things up and adds some speed, this group will continue to look like they are running in quicksand.
Calling up Abanikanda is the first step to changing that.
More touches for Xavier Gipson, fewer for Allen Lazard
When a receiver has more combined penalties and drops in a game than yards, you know it’s time to make a change. Allen Lazard can be a serviceable receiver, but he’s been awful in 2023 for the Jets. His drop rate is among the worst in the NFL to date, and there aren’t many viable options to replace him in New York’s offense.
That’s where Xavier Gipson comes into play though.
While trusting a UDFA in his rookie season tells more about the players that were brought in at the position than the improvements he made, Gipson is one of the few receivers on the team getting some separation (outside of Wilson) and has some form of quickness.
The offense should focus on Garrett, Hall, the tight end sets, and then Gipson. Until Lazard shows he can win 1-on-1 matchups, and until the team signs a veteran wide receiver to shake some things up, the offense should flow through those three receivers in the passing game. Having Lazard as part of this game plan simply isn’t good enough.
Make a Quarterback Change (Call-Up Trevor Siemian)
New York won’t make a quarterback change, but it might be time for it. There are a lot of factors that go into Zach Wilson and the offense’s struggles this season that don’t relate to the quarterback. But as the face of the franchise and signal-caller, Wilson will get all of the blame, and rightfully so.
“He’s the tone setter in terms of the pacesetter about getting guys in and out of the huddle, the line of scrimmage,” Saleh said of Wilson and the QB position this year. “But at the same time, I’ve also been very adamant that it is a team sport. Everyone around him has to help him too. There’s only so many things that the quarterback has control over.”
New York is among the worst teams in NFL history this year in multiple efficiency ratings. Their 14 points per game is unacceptable. The harder part about this is that they are 4-4 and still well within striking distance for the NFL playoffs!
For that reason alone though, a change must be made. Trevor Siemian has had success at quarterback in the NFL and is a quality backup. Could he come in and produce at a Mike White-type level for the Jets? It’s certainly worth a try for a team that needs any and every win imaginable to stay alive.
A change at quarterback may not be coming this week, but the longer this offensive ineptitude goes on, the easier it will be for the Jets coaching staff to make a change to try and jump-start this offense.
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