Jadeveon Clowney visit highlights Jets low key need at edge rusher

Along with visiting the Carolina Panthers, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that edge rusher, and former 2014 first overall pick, Jadeveon Clowney will visit with the New York Jets next week.

The fact that the Jets are at least entertaining the idea of adding Clowney to their team for the 2024 season highlights the under-the-radar need they have at the edge rusher position.

Last season as a defense, the Jets ranked fourth in the NFL in pressure rate on the quarterback. They had a number of key contributors to that overall result, but at the edge rusher position specifically, the Jets lost their most impactful presence, with Bryce Huff signing with Philadelphia in free agency.

Huff’s 67 pressures were the most among Jets’ edge rushers and the second-most on the team, trailing only Quinnen Williams by three pressures. League-wide, Huff was one of the more efficient pass rushers, ranking third in PFF’s pass-rush win rate metric within his position group, trailing only Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons.

As I wrote about recently, the Jets are in a position where they still have several proved pass rushers on the roster to help absorb Huff’s departure.

Jermaine Johnson and John Franklin-Myers combined for 106 pressures last season. The Jets also spent their 2023 first round pick on Will McDonald, who will have to take a Year 2 jump. Last season, McDonald’s role on defense was small, playing only 16 percent of the snaps, but he was effective with those opportunities, generating 12 pressures and ranking 29th in win rate.

In addition to that trio of edge rushers, the Jets, of course, have Williams in the middle and signed Javon Kinlaw in free agency, to help bolster their ability to get after the quarterback.

So it’s not as if the Jets are void of talent without Huff. That isn’t the case at all. But with that said, that doesn’t mean additional proven depth at edge rusher isn’t necessary, not to mention that replacing Huff’s production won’t be easy.

Edge rusher is routinely a heavily rotated position with four or sometimes even five players seeing snaps each week. Three of those spots are accounted for with Franklin-Myers, Johnson, and McDonald. As the roster is currently constructed, Micheal Clemons would likely be the fourth option.

Clemons saw more playing time against the run than the pass in 2023. He recorded eight pressures and ranked 80th in pass rush win rate.

That fourth spot in the rotation could be upgraded, and while the hope is that McDonald takes a big jump in his second NFL season, that still remains to be seen as well. A veteran presence like Clowney would provide some insurance in that regard and elevate the competition as well as the overall depth chart.

Clowney spent the 2023 season with Baltimore where he had a resurgence, totaling 78 pressures, including 11 sacks, according to PFF. Those 78 pressures were the 12th most among edge rushers, while Clowney had the 11th best pass rush win rate.

For what it’s worth, PFF projects that Clowney will earn a one-year deal in free agency worth $9 million.

A few other free agent names still on the market include Chase Young, Calais Campbell, Derek Barnett, and Mike Danna. After signing CJ Mosley to a new contract, the Jets have some additional wiggle room with the salary cap, along with having some other cap-saving maneuvers at their disposal.

The Jets could try to address this need in the draft, but this year’s edge rusher class isn’t as strong as previous ones, and with somewhat limited draft capital and more pressing needs elsewhere, the Jets may not get to it until Day 3. Not that teams can’t find contributors at that part of the draft, it happens all the time, but that’s not something they should be banking on either.

Some Day 3 names to know from this year’s edge rusher class include Myles Cole from Texas Tech, Javontae Jean-Baptiste from Notre Dame, and Eric Watts of UCONN. Iowa’s Logan Lee could provide some versatility to the unit as well.

With how little Robert Saleh blitzes, it’s vital to the overall defense’s success that the defensive front win their one-on-one matchups and get after the quarterback. Offensive tackle, wide receiver, and safety all may be more pressing needs, but with how important the edge rusher position is, Joe Douglas will likely attempt to beef up that rotation at some point this offseason.