3 available defensive free agents that the New York Jets should pursue

Advanced numbers and film behind still-available players who would fill crucial holes for the New York Jets. Vinny Curry, EDGE What Curry brings to the table: Efficient pass-rushing Curry was one of the league's most efficient rushers off the edge in 2019, yet mysteriously remains on the market with training camp on the horizon. Over 16 regular season games and one playoff game with Philadelphia this past season, Curry racked up a total of 44 pressures over 260 pass-rush snaps (playoffs included). That's a pressure rate of 16.9% - sixth-best out of 101 qualified edge defenders (95th percentile). The six-foot-three, 279-pounder primarily lined up as a 4-3 defensive end for the Eagles. Curry shows off his power-rushing ability on this play as he plows over the right tackle (Ty Nsekhe) to get a crushing hit on Josh Allen and force a two-yard dump-off. Curry annihilates the tight end with a swipe-rip move to get a quick hit on Russell Wilson that causes him to miss an open D.K. Metcalf. Curry is strong enough to handle some interior reps despite his sub-280 pound frame. He lines up at the 2-technique on this play, and after initially being sealed off, is able to work his way to the play-side and disengage to make an athletic diving stop. What Curry doesn't bring to the table: Every-down capability Curry has been a situational rusher throughout the majority of his career, and that is certainly not changing as he heads into his age-32 season. In 2019, Curry played only 24.4 snaps per game, participating in 39.4% of Philadelphia's defensive snaps on average. His career average is 27.5 snaps per game. Curry's role has always been to simply pin his ears back and go get the quarterback. He has rushed on 69.9% of his career snaps, with only 29.2% of his snaps coming against the run and 0.9% of his snaps in coverage. So, you can get some fantastic pass-rushing from Curry, but only in a small sample, and he is not the type of player who can be trusted to handle an every-down role. That works just fine for the Jets, who could use any amount of juice that they can get as they continue to search for a long-term answer at EDGE. Curry would be a great fit in the role that Henry Anderson played last year. Anderson was largely playing the 5-technique defensive end position, with a lot of edge-rushing responsibility placed on his shoulders. That is not his forte. Give Curry those snaps on passing downs, and the productivity from that position should fly upwards. Jadeveon Clowney, EDGE What Clowney brings to the table: Elite run defense Clowney may be the league's best edge defender against the run. Since 2015, Clowney has picked up 55 tackles for loss in the run game, tied with Luke Kuechly for the NFL lead and eight more than any other edge defender. In addition, Clowney has ranked top-10 among edge defenders in Pro Football Focus' run defense grade in each of the past five seasons, a feat shared only by Khalil Mack (Von Miller ranked 11th in one season but was top-10 in the other four). Clowney combines with now-Jets safety Bradley McDougald on this three-yard tackle for loss. The man is an absolute wrecking ball as a run-defender, swimming and swiping through any blocker that dares to take him on. As the 7-technique (inside of the tight end) on this play, Clowney comes all the way from the back-side to the opposite edge to record a stop for no gain. He dominates tight ends with ease. What Clowney does not bring to the table: Elite pass-rushing Clowney is a good pass-rusher. There's no doubt about that. He's just not an elite one, which is why teams around the NFL have been wary to invest a gargantuan amount of money into him. Note: "pass rush productivity" is a player's pressure rate with double weight to sacks. Clowney is only 39th in sacks (32.0) and 29th in total quarterback hits (80) since 2015. On average, he has ranked at the 48th percentile among edge defenders in pass-rush productivity. PFF's grading system is a bit higher on him, with Clowney landing at the 66th percentile on average in pass-rush grade. That's a solid track record - and certainly a major upgrade over what the Jets have - but you can see why teams are hesitant to hand him the mega-deal he and his camp are likely demanding. Clowney shows off plenty of dominant flashes as a pass-rusher. He just has not put them together consistently enough to produce at a level comparable to the league's elite rushers. Here, he side-steps the right tackle (Mike McGlinchey) to create instant pressure on Jimmy Garoppolo, forcing a throwaway as he lands the hit. Signing Clowney long-term did not and does not make sense for the Jets, but now that his market has seemingly dried up, he could end up settling for a one-year "prove it" deal. In that case, Clowney would become a viable option. The Jets desperately need any sort of life on the edge, now have a slightly bigger need for run defense help after Jamal Adams' exit, and have already built much of their roster around one-year deals that will expire going into 2021. In his prime at 27 years old as he enters his seventh season, if Clowney proves to be a good fit in New York, the Jets can talk extension after the year. Logan Ryan, CB What Ryan brings to the table: Versatility, elite play-making Back in May, the Jets seemed to be on the verge of signing the former Titans and Patriots cornerback, but that obviously did not come to fruition. Fast forward to late-July, and Ryan is still out there. Ryan offers intriguing versatility that would make him a tantalizing fit under Gregg Williams. Throughout his seven-year career, Ryan has logged a ton of reps both in the slot and on the outside. 2019 (TEN) - 71.9% of cover snaps in the slot 2018 (TEN) - 72.1% 2017 (TEN) - 65.4% 2016 (NE) - 55.6% 2015 (NE) - 28.2% 2014 (NE) - 30.5% 2013 (NE) - 34.4% Overall, Ryan has covered the slot on 53.1% of his career coverage reps and the outside on 46.9%. Few cornerbacks offer such an even split of experience. Ryan mans up against Jarvis Landry in the slot and picks off Baker Mayfield to essentially seal the game. This time on the outside, Ryan deflects a Jameis Winston bomb. Ryan was an extremely active play-maker for the Titans in all three phases - coverage, against the run, and as a blitzer. Here are some of his ranks among cornerbacks in the 2019 regular season: 1st in sacks (4.5) 1st in run stops (17) 1st in forced fumbles (4) 2nd in total pressures (12) 3rd in passes defended (18) 8th in interceptions (4) Ryan was deployed as a blitzer 46 times in 2019, second-most among cornerbacks. Over the past two seasons, he led cornerbacks with 8.5 sacks, more than double the total of any other corner, and fewer than only Jamal Adams (10.0) among all defensive backs. He is the perfect player to chip in towards filling the massive chunk of productive blitz reps vacated by the Adams trade. On this play, Ryan creeps out of the slot and up to the line just before the snap. He side-steps the running back and brings down Winston for the sack, even stripping the ball out (Winston recovered). Ryan sticks his nose in the run game as well. He tied for the lead among cornerbacks with 17 run stops in 2019 and has ranked top-15 in four of the past five seasons. Here, Ryan subtly avoids contact from the wide receiver by bringing his outside arm towards his body, and then stops Jordan Wilkins at the line for no gain. What Ryan doesn't bring to the table: Consistency in coverage Teams threw a ton of passes at Ryan in 2019. In the regular season, he saw more targets in his direction than any other cornerback (114) and allowed the most yards at the position (940). Ryan also gave up six touchdowns (tied for sixth-most) and committed 10 penalties (fourth-most). Since 2017, including the playoffs, Ryan has allowed a 15-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio while committing 23 penalties. On a per-target basis, Ryan's 2019 numbers were decent. He allowed 8.2 yards per target and a 97.8 passer rating, both numbers slightly worse than the positional averages of 7.9 and 92.7, respectively. More positively, with 41 first downs allowed, Ryan yielded a first down rate of 36.0%, better than the positional average of 40.1%. Back in 2018, Ryan allowed the 14th-fewest yards per cover snap among cornerbacks (0.86) and gave up only 414 yards in total, 68th-most. Perhaps his massive target volume in 2019 was just a matter of changes in how he was used rather than a worrying sign regarding his coverage ability. All-in-all, Ryan is no lockdown corner, but most signs point to him being a darn solid veteran who offers unique versatility and a knack for making big plays in every facet. There is zero doubt that the Jets are in dire need of a player like that, considering their lack of reliability at cornerback coupled with the loss of Jamal Adams' play-making. Gregg Williams could let his mind go wild thinking of the many ways to creatively utilize Ryan, Brian Poole, and Bradley McDougald in the defensive backfield.