Depth At The Position
Perhaps the worst thing that ever happened to Muhammad Wilkerson was the 2015 NFL Draft.
It was the night the first-year regime of Mike Maccagnan and Todd Bowles made Leonard Williams the No. 6 overall selection.
Williams, who was considered by many to be the most talented player in the pool, was graciously accepted by the Jets despite falling to the sixth spot. This, despite already possessing Big Mo and Sheldon Richardson.
Suddenly, the defensive end spot on the roster became very crowded.
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Bowles is a man who prides himself on acting as a very versatile defensive mind. His blend between four and three man fronts has been extremely pronounced through his entire NFL coaching career.
In spite of his unique principles, three defensive ends in a 3-4 set is one too many. We saw it first hand last season when they attempted to make Richardson a stand-up outside linebacker. It failed miserably. Should the Jets make the official move to 4-3, all three guys could see the field at once, but then Big Mo would be severely be out of position at defensive end. He can handle it at times on passing downs, but he’s simply not an every down edge player.
Three is one too many.
Should Wilkerson hold out into training camp, Maccagnan will wait it out. He’ll allow business to go on as usual as long as both Sheldon and the Big Cat are healthy.
