New York Jets top three positional needs heading into 2017 offseason

The 5-11 New York Jets have many holes to fill heading into the offseason. Here are the top three positional needs for Mike Maccagnan.

After the disastrous 2016 season for the 5-11 New York Jets, general manager Mike Maccagnan and the rest of the suits in the front office will have a busy off-season trying to improve this team.

Changes have already been made with their coaching staff, as the Jets have parted away with six assistants coaches. They are attempting to find the right coaching personnel to change the culture of the organization.

Also, reports are stating that the New York Jets are most likely heading to a massive overhaul towards their roster. One thing is for sure: Gang Green will look very different next year.

This team has multiple position needs, but what are the most important team needs for the Jets?

Here are the three most important areas that Maccagnan should focus on in an attempt to fix the bumbling Jets:

1. Quarterback

Unfortunately, this is the biggest team need each and every year for the New York Jets. They never seem to find the right guy behind center to be the franchise quarterback.

The Jets held high hopes that Ryan Fitzpatrick could build off his 2015 season but learned quickly that signing him to a 12 million dollar deal was a mistake. It’s very unlikely the Jets would want him back next year.

Geno Smith‘s career as a New York Jet most likely ended when he tore his ACL against Baltimore.

So, that would leave just Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg on the roster. Are the Jets feeling good about that? Probably not. With the playing time he received, Petty was not overly impressive. He had some moments but turned over the football quite a bit.

Petty will be recovering from a torn labrum this offseason, which he suffered in New England on Christmas Eve.

Christian Hackenberg on the other hand, according to sources he does not look like he will survive in the NFL. Which makes you think, why didn’t the Jets draft Dak Prescott? Someone in their scouting department should be fired.

Maccagan’s first priority is to find a quarterback. Whether that’s signing or trading for a veteran quarterback, or drafting one. Deshaun Watson is looking like a pretty good option as of late.

Whoever the man is, you can not win in this league without having a quarterback.

2. Offensive Lineman

The second area that the New York Jets must focus on is improving their offensive line.

The Jets O-Line failed at protecting the quarterback this year, which is why Petty went down with his shoulder injury. The biggest problem the o-line has is their inability to remain healthy.

Breno Giacomini came into this season with a back injury and was not able to finish the season as he was placed on injured reserve in December.

Ryan Clady, the New York Jets left tackle, also finished the year on injured reserve. He was a big risk the New York Jets took after D’Brickshaw Ferguson retired. Clady once was a Pro-Ball caliber player, but injuries have derailed his career.

The Jets were hoping his injury problems were behind him, but that obviously is not the case.

The heart and soul of the New York Jets offensive line is Nick Mangold, but he has struggled to remain healthy the past few seasons. Mangold played in just 8 games this past year.

The offensive line is aging, which means it’s time for the New York Jets to find younger and more durable linemen.

The one offensive lineman the Jets took last year in the draft was Brandon Shell. Shell is making the most of his opportunities by playing extremely well with the few starts he’s received, which is encouraging for Gang Green.

Mangold will be a part of the Jets offensive line next year, but Giacomini and Clady must be replaced. The Jets O-Line must get younger.

3. Secondary

Darrelle Revis is the biggest disappointment for the New York Jets defensively in 2016. He is no longer the game’s best defensive back, and “Revis Island” is no more.

He admitted that he came into this season out of shape, he claimed that he did not work out because he was trying to recover from injuries.

It is the time for the Jets move him to play safety, but if he is not productive, they must move on from him. He makes too much money not to be a factor on the field.

Buster Skrine is also someone who had a down 2016 season. He’s a penalty making machine out there. For example, the Monday Night game against the Arizona Cardinals, he committed six penalties.

The New York Jets gave up a lot of points this year, their secondary is certainly to blame. Time and time again they allowed big plays. And opposing quarterbacks put up gaudy numbers against them.

Finding the right guys in the secondary will get the best out of the defensive line, which is the strength of this defense. The poor secondary is wasting the talent on the defensive line.

Final Thoughts

If the New York Jets are going to have success in 2017, Maccagnan must improve these three areas.

He must start with finding a quarterback. If he finds the right one, then that will give the New York Jets a foundation to build upon. Then he must find younger and more durable offensive lineman to protect the quarterback. And finally, he needs to fix the secondary that was dreadful this past season.

And if he has time throw in finding a tight end. The New York Jets have not had a productive one in quite a while.