Welcome back to another edition of the Turn On The Jets 12 Pack. Make sure to check out our store at The Loyalist! and to subscribe to the TOJ podcast (hit us with a rating!)

Watch below for last week’s interview on WFAN talking Adam Gase, Mike Maccagnan and more!

1 – Trey Flowers, Defensive End, New England Patriots: The top pass rusher likely to hit the market who is in his prime at 25 years old. Flowers is effective both against the run and the pass, compiling 21 sacks over the past three years and finishing 2018 as PFF’s 6th ranked edge defender. Flowers biggest strength is his versatility and ability to make plays wherever he lines up in the front seven. He’d immediately become the Jets best player upfront and make life substantially easier on fellow defensive linemen/linebackers.

2 – Bryce Callahan, Slot Corner, Chicago Bears: Finding a consistent slot corner is not an easy task and the Jets are corner hungry, especially with Greg Williams’ scheme coming to town. Callahan is one of the best but is unfortunately coming off a broken foot in November. Similar to Matt Paradis on the offensive side of the football, this should not stop the Jets from reaching out and taking a swing pending his medical clearance. Callahan is only 27 and could fill the role that Buster Skrine has struggled to hold down recently over the next few years, giving the Jets a much needed shot of flexibility and talent on the back end.

3 – Grady Jarrett, Defensive Tackle, Atlanta Falcons: Whether or not the Jets ultimately trade Leonard Williams, they need more disruptive, consistent players upfront, particularly when it comes to rushing the passer. Jarrett has been a late round steal for the Falcons (and ironically was somebody former Defensive Line coach Pepper Johnson thought the Jets should have initially targeted in the 2015 NFL Draft). Jarrett would lessen the sting of not landing a top tier edge rusher in free agency because of his ability to generate pressure in the interior of a defense.

He actually had a pretty good season, all told. Some bad highlights early on, esp against Rams, but great coverage numbers and good tackling efficiency. Unreal ability to impact offensive protection scheme — Arif Hasan (@ArifHasanNFL) January 20, 2019

As the Jets transition to a base 4-3 under Gregg Williams, they are going to need linebackers to fit the scheme because Avery Williamson and Jordan Jenkins do not. At 27 years old, Barr fits the description and despite some inconsistencies last season, graded out as an above average starter and tops the list of available options to run alongside Darron Lee. Via our friend Arif Hasan , who covers the Vikings:

5 – Dante Fowler, Defensive End, Los Angeles Rams: Checks many of the boxes of a traditional red flag free agent: a name/draft position that is inflated compared to production, limited output despite an ideal situation and injury/off the field concerns…however, in a pass rusher marker that is likely to be stripped down by the franchise tag, Fowler is going to get paid. You have to hope that he plays with a higher degree of consistency and can still produce without players like Aaron Donald, Ndamukong Suh and Calais Campbell around him. The physical talent is there, as we have seen throughout these playoffs but there is no doubt this is a riskier signing than Flowers.

The Jets are desperate for corner help, particularly young corner help, without recent injury concerns (since returning from short term IR midway through 2017, Nelson has started 25 straight games). At 25 years old, he is coming off his best career season and would be a needed perimeter upgrade over Morris Claiborne and be a far more forward thinking investment than the Jets have recently made at the cornerback position.

7 – Ronald Darby, Cornerback, Philadelphia Eagles: Still only 25 years old, Darby may be the most talented cornerback available on the open market but comes with major injury concerns. The former second rounder has only played 17 games over the past two years and had his 2018 campaign cut short with a torn ACL. In 2017, he missed multiple weeks with a dislocated ankle. It is nearly impossible to get premium talent at a premium position in free agency without some type of major red flag attached, Darby’s talent may be worth taking a swing on despite his recent injury history.

8 – Pierre Desir, Cornerback, Indianpolis Colts: Highly unlikely to hit the open market considering the Colts cap situation. He came somewhat out of nowhere as a 28 year old to become one of the better starting corners in football this season for a surprisingly productive Indianapolis defense. At 6’2 200 pounds, Desir has the size teams crave on the outside at corner. Was he a one year wonder? The Colts are probably going to pay to find out.

9 – Jordan Hicks, Linebacker, Philadelphia Eagles: As the Jets look to shift their linebacking group to accommodate Williams’ defensive scheme, Hicks would be an intriguing addition to the group’s flexibility and versatility at the second level. He has struggled with injuries over the past two years but when out there, has been one of the better 4-3 middle linebackers in the NFL. Darron Lee may be best served as switchblade bouncing around the front seven, something he’d have more flexibility to do with the presence of Hicks alongside him.

10 – Bradley Roby, Cornerback, Denver Broncos: A former first round pick who has been up and down for the Broncos in recent years but is durable and has shown an ability to thrive in press coverage. He would be a higher upside signing with less injury questions compared to bringing Morris Claiborne back for another year.

11 – Brandon Graham, Defensive End, Philadelphia Eagles: 31 years old but still capable of providing a consistent pass rush off the edge. Graham has 13.5 sacks over the past two years and would be a transitional player as the Jets move to a 4-3 and look for more long term solutions in their front seven. If the Jets don’t close on Flowers or Fowler, Graham is a logical place to turn their focus if they want additional pass rush support before the NFL Draft.

12 – Darqueze Dennard, Cornerback, Cincinnati Bengals: Somewhat similar resume to Roby but a year older, Dennard is a former first round pick who has started 44 of 48 games over the past three years. He would be a younger upgrade over Claiborne on the outside for the Jets and a solid second tier option if they can’t land Nelson, Desir or Callahan.

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