The NFL regular season is finally upon us after months of endless analysis, talk and silly babbling. We are about to get actual football.
For the Jets, things get started Monday against the defending NFC champion 49ers. The Jets enter this season with high hopes. There is talk of this being a Super Bowl contender and at the very least a playoff team.
We all know that the season hinges on the health of Aaron Rodgers and the growth of young stars like Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall and Sauce Gardner. But today I want to highlight five players who have critical roles on the 2024 Jets. How they perform will have an influence over just how far the Jets go this season.
It is a group of five players who are all veterans and some with impressive NFL résumés. Can they all deliver for the Jets this year? Here are the five (in alphabetical order):
Chuck Clark, Safety
I was talking to someone from the Jets earlier this summer and they pointed to Clark tearing his ACL on the last play of OTAs in 2023 as the first sign of trouble that year. The Jets were very excited about Clark after acquiring him by trade from the Ravens and then he missed the entire season.
Clark has returned and is the starting strong safety. The Jets remain excited about what Clark can do and feel he is an upgrade over Jordan Whitehead. The biggest question to me about Clark is how he responds after missing an entire season. That sometimes affects players more than we appreciate. He is also 29 years old and while he was always a steady player for the Ravens, he has not been spectacular. The Jets defense has very few holes, but safety could be one.
Jermaine Johnson, Defensive End
Johnson had a breakout season for the Jets last year with 7 ½ sacks in his second season. Johnson gets overshadowed by fellow 2022 first-round picks Wilson and Gardner but he is going to be just as important as those two this year.
The Jets lost Bryce Huff, John Franklin-Myers and Quinton Jefferson this offseason and they accounted for 19 ½ sacks last year. Haason Reddick remains a no-show. That leaves Johnson as the most accomplished edge rusher on the Jets. Last season was a nice jump for Johnson, but now can he do more? Can he be a double-digit sack man? That could be what the Jets need to keep their defense among the league’s best.
C.J. Mosley, Linebacker
It feels blasphemous to even question Mosley, who has quietly established himself as an all-time Jet over the last three years. But … he’s now 32 years old. It is extremely hard to maintain a high level at linebacker as age creeps in. At some point, Mosley is going to have a drop-off in play. The Jets are hoping it does not come this year.
Tyron Smith, Left Tackle
The biggest piece of Joe Douglas’ offensive line rebuild was signing the former Cowboys star. The eight-time Pro Bowler has looked great in training camp. The question with Smith is always whether he can stay on the field. He has not played a complete season since 2015. The 33-year-old played 13 games last year after playing 17 combined games in the previous three years.
The Jets will be careful with Smith’s practice time and try to manage him through the season. I have a feeling the Jets offense will look different if Smith has to miss time and rookie Olu Fashanu takes over at left tackle.
Mike Williams, Wide Receiver
The Jets signed Williams to a one-year, $10 million contract in March with the hope that he can be the complement to Wilson they lacked last season. Williams comes with plenty of risk. He turns 30 in October and is coming off a torn ACL he suffered in September 2023. Williams missed almost all of training camp but the Jets expect him to at least be available for the start of the season. It sounds like they don’t expect a fully healthy Williams for a few weeks.
Williams had 1,146 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 2021. The Jets don’t need him to recapture that form to have a good offense. They would settle for 75 percent of that production.
