The New York Jets added some nice depth to their defense, but are still looking for new members of the flight crew.
Last week the New York Jets had a fire in their pocket to spend their allowance. They did a nice job of adding some primo talent on offense and defense for a pretty penny.
Although those who know football understand that it’s a team game, so the rest of the party is just as important. The Jets added some depth to their linebacking and defensive line corps, moves that would usually fly under the radar but deserve some proper TLC from Jets Nation.
The newest addition to our LB corps: @BCopeLB
DETAILS → https://t.co/CfZq3XgNmB pic.twitter.com/U7vllZgTii
— New York Jets (@nyjets) March 20, 2018
Could Brandon Copeland be the salt to Avery Williamson‘s pepper? It’s very likely. Williamson is heralded as a two-down player, as his weakness is in coverage.
That’s not a problem, as the Jets added a coverage guy on the cheap in Xavier Cooper to complete the linebacking corps depth.
Back on the D-line in 2018: @xaviergcooper
MORE → https://t.co/ZOViL69EcR pic.twitter.com/aLksZZ09sZ
— New York Jets (@nyjets) March 20, 2018
While general manager Mike Maccagnan said the defensive line group isn’t necessarily a priority. This team did lose Muhammad Wilkerson, so you had to replace him with somebody. Cooper is a nice rotational guy that can provide a body and hopefully an occasional pass rush.
Fun fact: Copeland’s grandfather, Roy Hilton, played 11 seasons in the NFL and played against Joe Namath and the Jets while with the Colts in Super Bowl 3.
“He played defensive end against Joe Namath and all those guys,” he told Ethan Greenberg from NYJets.com. “I know he’s going to be very proud of his grandson and now my job is to continue to make him proud.”
While the Jets have done a lot in free agency, they may not be done just yet. The team is hosting two free agent wide receivers this week in Charles Johnson and, more interestingly, Terrelle Pryor.
This suggests the team isn’t satisfied with its’ current group. There’s a lot of uncertainty from Robby Anderson‘s off the field issues to Quincy Enunwa and his rehab from a serious neck injury.
Pryor would be my choice to bring in. He’s the quintessential low-risk, high-reward signing. Pryor can be that red-zone target for the Jets with Austin Seferian-Jenkins in Jacksonville. Plus he’s got freakish ability to help within the 20’s as well.
