With the NFL Scouting Combine over, here are some things I heard in Indianapolis about the Jets with free agency set to begin in a week. Teams can begin to speak to agents on March 11 and players can sign with teams on March 13. Here is some of the rumors going around about the Jets:
1. Most of the NFL people I spoke to believe the Jets will be aggressive in their pursuit of Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell. The Jets make sense because they have more than $100 million in salary cap space, a glaring need for a playmaker on offense and a desperate general manager in Mike Maccagnan, who needs to hit a few home runs this offseason.
That being said, the people I spoke with seemed to be deducing that the Jets would be in on Bell, not that they were told that by anyone from the Jets. Maccagnan has a reputation for keeping things close to the vest and he has done that with his plans for Bell. Another variable that people seem unsure of is just how robust a market there will be for Bell. There have been no firm reports of teams being interested in signing Bell. Again, there has been speculation that the Colts, Ravens or Texans might be interested, but nothing concrete. If there are not many suitors, the asking price may not be as high as people have expected.
A name to keep an eye on if the Jets don’t land Bell is Falcons running back Tevin Coleman. A few people told me that he could wind up with the Jets. One interesting element of that is Coleman and Bell share an agent – Adisa Bakari. It reminds me of last year when Kirk Cousins shared an agent with Josh McCown. Once the Jets were out on Cousins, they quickly pivoted to re-sign McCown. Could that happen this year with Bell and Coleman?
2. I have been of the belief that the Jets would fill their pass-rushing hole in the draft. There are a lot of strong edge rushers in this year’s draft class and with the No. 3 pick, the Jets could land a good one.
After listening to chatter in Indy, though, it sounds like the Jets may try to fill their need for an edge rusher in free agency. Most of the top edge rushers will be off the market as teams either sign them long-term or slap the franchise tag on them. Some names to keep an eye on with the Jets are: Dante Fowler of the Rams, Trey Flowers of the Patriots and Ezekiel Ansah of the Lions. There were rumblings of the Jets having interest in them when free agency opens next week.
3. Maccagnan did not hide his desire to trade down out of the No. 3 pick when he met with the media last week. Someone I spoke with who knows Maccagnan well said he really wants to get back into the second round of the draft this year. You may remember that Maccagnan sent his second-round pick this year to the Colts in the trade to move from No. 6 to No. 3 last year. The strength of this draft is in Rounds 2-5. The Jets currently have two third-rounders but no picks in the second round. Maybe Maccagnan can change that if someone wants to move up.
4. A few other positions the Jets are looking at are interior offensive linemen and blocking tight ends. The Jets seem to be content with sticking with Kelvin Beachum and Brandon Shell at tackles. They’d like to upgrade the middle of the line, though. The Rams’ Rodger Saffold is a candidate at left guard. Matt Paradis and Mitch Morse are the top centers on the market. Adam Gase had Paradis for a year in Denver, so that could be a match.
The Jets love Chris Herndon at tight end, but feel like they need some help behind him, particularly when it comes to a run-blocker at the position.
5. A year later, more than one person commented to me how bad the Trumaine Johnson deal looks for the Jets. The five-year, $72.5 million contract looks like it could be another whiff by Maccagnan. The Jets are hoping new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who had Johnson with the Rams early in his career, can bring out the best in him.
6. The Jets announced they would unveil their new uniforms on April 4. I spoke with two people who have seen them. One said they reminded them of the Eagles’ uniforms. Another said one of the alternate uniforms has black as the predominant color.