WATCH: 3 pass rushers who could spark New York Jets defense
The pass rush for the New York Jets (0-3) has been largely ineffective to start the season (five sacks, T-No. 24 in the NFL).
If they want to see some sort of success going forward (outside of putting it together on offense), the team needs to get their hands on a relatively productive pass rusher.
There are a couple of current free agents that defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is familiar with in Anthony Zettel and Nate Orchard, and their familiarity with his scheme could make them immediate contributors.
However, the pair’s career histories indicate that they’d be nothing more than depth players, at best. As of this year, the two have combined for just 12½ career sacks across seven combined seasons.
Clearly, the Jets would be much better served by combing the free-agent market for pass-rushers with higher upside or a more established body of work.
Luckily, there are still a few looking for work right now. While there are many players available that could fit the mold, the below three would be ideal additions for Jets.
Nick Perry
Nick Perry isn’t a household name outside of the state of Wisconsin (and maybe California), but he probably has the highest ceiling out of any of these aforementioned edge defenders; if he can stay healthy, that is.
The USC product has yet to play a full 16-game slate in his eight-year career and has been hampered by injuries over the last two seasons. Yet, despite spending a lot of time on the sidelines, the 29-year-old is a playoff-grizzled, veteran pass-rusher that’s been a consistent contributor throughout his career (32 sacks in 81 career games).
It may take Perry a bit of time to get back up to speed, however, as he hasn’t played a down since Week 10 of the 2018 season. But judging by the 18 sacks he racked up between 2016 and 2017 (including an 11-sack 2016 campaign), he still has the potential to be a difference-maker for New York.
Damontre Moore
His troubling past and questionable work ethic have derailed his NFL career, but Damontre Moore has definitely proved that he’s turned things around and deserves a spot on an NFL roster.
The 27-year-old edge-defender was given an opportunity to revive his professional career in the short-lived Alliance of American Football and took complete advantage.
Before the league suspended operations, Moore was arguably the league’s best defensive player, tallying 22 tackles and seven quarterback takedowns in just eight games played for the San Diego Fleet.
Moore’s AAF tenure earned him a contract with the San Francisco 49ers and despite a stellar preseason (two sacks, 13 combined tackles), he was surprisingly released before the 2019 season.
A former first-round graded prospect, Moore is seemingly realizing his potential right now and if the Jets take a flier on him, he could become the impact pass-rusher they need.
Shane Ray
A 2015 first-round pick of the Denver Broncos, Shane Ray seemingly had a bright future ahead of him.
Unfortunately, after promising rookie and sophomore seasons, wrist injuries would plague the Missouri product in 2017 and 2018, limiting him to just 19 out of a possible 32 regular-season games.
Before his recent injury woes, however, Ray was developing into one of the league’s more productive pass-rushers, tallying 12 sacks (including eight in 2016) across his first two seasons in the league.
The Missouri product has proven that he can be an impact player at a premium position and at just 26 years old, there’s definitely time for the young edge-rusher to realize his full potential.
Giving Ray a chance to revive his once-promising career could benefit the Jets both now and possibly in the future. The 26-year-old could give Gang Green the high-upside pass-rusher they need and if he exceeds expectations, they’ll get the first crack at making him a long-term building block for their defense once the season wraps up.
