May 27, 2021; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas (left) chats with head coach Robert Saleh during an OTA at Jets Atlantic Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Jets and their fans have plenty of reason to be excited. General Manager Joe Douglas just landed the team a trio of talented players in the first round of the NFL draft. With picks 4, 10 and 26, Douglas landed cornerback Sauce Gardner, wide receiver Garrett Wilson and edge rusher Jermaine Johnson respectively.
For head coach Robert Saleh, Gardner and Johnson will be of particular interest. The two highly touted defenders will join a now health Carl Lawson and defensive backs DJ Reed and safeties Jordan Whitehead and Marcus Joyner. Even before inevitably adding more defense on days two and three of the draft, Saleh should have enough to work with to turn around whhttps://youtu.be/yLGErCtNUToat was the worst defense in franchise history in 2021.
Last season saw the Jets surrender over 500 points for the first time. The defensive line couldn’t generate enough pressure to get off the field on third down and the secondary rarely made plays on the ball. Saleh got somewhat of a free pass as the team was without the injured Lawson and the secondary needed help at both cornerback and safety. Now? Help has arrived.
Saleh came to New York with a reputation as a meticulous planner. He was expected to put his players in the best position to succeed. Last season, there was little success, but the lack of talent gave Saleh cover. With a pair of brand new starters at both corner and edge rusher, he won’t get the same benefit of the doubt in year two if there’s not a dramatic improvement in 2022.