Throughout the offseason, NewYorkJets.com reporters Eric Allen, Randy Lange, Jack Bell and Amanda Vogt will give their responses to a series of questions regarding the Jets.
Today's question: What is the Next Step for the Jets Offense as it Gets Healthy?
EA: I'm bullish on the Jets' offensive potential and their bounty of playmakers. Nobody has made any excuses at 1 Jets Drive, but the Green & White have been whole for only a few plays this season. WR2 Adonai Mitchell(4 games), WR3 Omar Cooper Jr. (4 games), RB1 Breece Hall (3 games) and LG1 Dylan Parham (3 games) have combined to miss 14 contests. Despite the moving parts, QB Geno Smith is hitting on 69% of his passes with 7 TDs and 1 INT while WR Garrett Wilson leads the AFC in receptions with 35. The ground game has been going of late with Braelon Allen ripping off nine 10-plus yard carries the past 2 games. Speaking of Allen, his 220 scrimmage yards against the Browns and Pats were the fifth-most among RBs in Weeks 5-6. Cooper (6-103-1TD) returned to the lineup with a bang while joining TE Kenyon Sadiq as the only rookie teammates in NFL history to each have 100-plus yard games in their first three games. The next step for the offense is finishing drives and executing more in the red zone and in short-yardage situations. OC Frank Reich's plan has been sound, and the Jets have come out firing with scores on their opening possession the past two games. There has been progress and it's going to be fun watching this unit – featuring several explosive options and steady veteran QB – continue to develop.
AV: As the offense gets healthy, the Jets are going to need to continue to find a way to put all of their pieces together. There are capable playmakers at every skill position, but they've had limited time when everyone is healthy. QB Geno Smith has provided the Jets with a stable veteran presence, and this is a Dolphins defense I think they can attack. Smith has completed a league-high 64.5% of his passes under pressure and has been pressured on 42.7% of his drop backs this season, which is the third highest among qualified passers, according to Next Gen Stats. Miami has converted 8.2% of their pressures into sacks, which is the lowest rate in the NFL. If the Jets can return a few pieces to the offense this week, Smith should be able to spread the ball around efficiently and connect with different options to move the ball down field.
RL: Not to get too far over my skis on this, but reuniting the healthy Jets for midweek practices and then getting them on the field together is the next step for the offense. Breece Hall has returned to limited work, and hopes are that he will be return to the team with Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis in the backfield. Mason Taylor and first-round rookie Kenyon Sadiq missed a couple of games but have been back at TE for the last two. At WR, there's Garrett Wilson, of course, and he finally got to work with Adonai Mitchell ... for all of two games before AD went out with his finger injury. First-round WR Omar Cooper Jr. gave a hint of what he can bring to the table in the opener, but one catch and five offensive plays later, he was on the IR shelf for four games. Those five snaps at Tennessee were the only plays this entire group has joined forces for this season. OC Frank Reich said this week: "We feel really good about our weapons, and so when they're all healthy and we're getting things going, I feel very good about better production, more points." Certainly soon, maybe Sunday at home, Reich and Geno Smith will have their full stable of skill dudes to do battle with against the Dolphins defense.
JB: With injuries across the offense dogging the Jets through their first six games, OC Frank Reich has yet to deploy the full arsenal of playmakers he so excitedly talked about before the start of the season. And while the return of first-round draft pick WR Omar Cooper Jr. last week (6 catches, 103 yards, 1 TD) provided a glimpse of what's possible for QB Geno Smith to employ, WR Adonai Mitchell has missed 4 games and WR1 Garrett Wilson, while leading the AFC in receptions (35), is a playmaker whom the Jets will continue to feed. RB Breece Hall (quad) returned to practice this week and Braelon Allen has been productive in his absence. But for me, the next step for the offense in the ground and aerial games involves the team's four tight ends -- rookie Kenyon Sadiq, second-year man Mason Taylor (each of whom was drafted over the past two years) and veterans Jeremy Ruckert and Jelani Woods. Taylor returned from injury last week and had 4 catches for 33 yards while Sadiq caught 1 pass for 12 and Ruckert (14 snaps) served mostly as a sixth O-lineman. Before the start of the season, Reich raved about the TEs and the possibilities for using 13 personnel (3 TEs) and 12 personnel (2 TEs). The next step could be getting the imposing Sadiq more involved in the pass game, particularly in the middle of the field where he could use his size (6-3, 241) and speed to take advantage of mismatches.
