The New York Jets have a problem. It’s the same problem they have had for years and years. The Jets have failed to draft and develop talent.
Couple their inability to identify and nurture talent with their impatient, meddlesome, and intrusive owner and you have a franchise that is stuck in the same cycle over and over again.
The Jets are set to rebuild again for what feels like a yearly occurrence. The way to rebuild is to shed money, acquire young assets and turn them into productive players. But as I just said, the Jets have been incapable of doing this and that leads to their owner getting involved in matters he has no business getting involved in.
For 2025, the Jets will have some glaring holes on their roster. For the purposes of this article, I will ignore the quarterback position because it is a whole conundrum in itself. The Jets have roster gaps at right tackle, wide receiver two, tight end, cornerback, defensive end, defensive tackle, linebacker and both safety spots.
Here’s the issue, the Jets have drafted all of those positions in the last few seasons and have seen none of them turn into any type of NFL-caliber production. The Jets drafts are filled with round after round of project players that are put on the shelf until they are eventually cut, or their contracts expire.
To show you what I mean, let’s take a look at the tight end position.
The Jets used a third-round pick in 2022 on Jeremy Ruckert out of Ohio State to play tight end. Why is he not an option for the Jets in 2025 with Tyler Conklin set to become a free agent? Simply put, he hasn’t gotten better. This was a guy that Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas identified to be a feasible option for a starting tight end in the NFL that hasn’t’ become anything more than a situational role player.
Enter Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn who have no loyalty or connection to a guy like Ruckert and once again the Jets are left without a starting tight end. So that leaves Mougey and Glenn with no option other than to overspend in free agency for a tight end.
Free agents cost more money than home grown players. Simply put, in free agency you have to compete with every other team and the highest amount wins the player most of the time. In a salary capped league, you cannot build a winning franchise on a foundation of first-round picks and free agents.
It isn’t just the tight end position. When was the last time the Jets drafted a player outside of the first two rounds to play anywhere on the offensive line? The defensive line is filled with first-round picks and free agents. Just last year, the Jets drafted a corner, a safety, a wide receiver and a quarterback, yet none of them are even on the radar to be starters at positions of need for the team in 2025.
A team only gets so much money to spend and only one first-round pick every year. The Jets have to find a way to identify and develop talent in the back half of the draft or this cycle will continue.