Key changes Mike LaFleur will make to the New York Jets offense

Here are the biggest differences between Adam Gase's New York Jets offense and the San Francisco 49ers offense that Mike LaFleur comes from. Passes behind the line of scrimmage to WR and TE The 49ers love to utilize their outside weapons in the screen game. In 2020, San Francisco threw 56 passes behind the line of scrimmage to its wide receivers and tight ends. Those passes yielded 455 yards and 20 first downs, which is about 8.1 yards per target and a 35.7% conversion rate - insanely good numbers for passes in that range. Adam Gase's screen game wasn't remotely close to as depended-upon or effective. The New York Jets threw 34 passes behind the line of scrimmage to their wide receivers and tight ends, which resulted in just 156 yards (4.6 per target) and seven first downs (20.6% rate). None of the Jets' six wide receivers and tight ends to see at least one target behind the line of scrimmage averaged more than 5.5 yards per reception on those passes. The 49ers had five players average a mark of 6.0 or better. San Francisco had two wide receivers combine for more targets behind the line of scrimmage (37) than the entirety of the Jets' WR/TE group (34) - Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. Despite playing only six games, Samuel ranked third league-wide among WR/TE with 21 targets behind the line of scrimmage. His average of 3.5 targets behind the line of scrimmage per game was more than double every other qualifier besides Antonio Brown (2.1). Samuel made the absolute most of those passes as his average of 10.9 yards per reception and his conversion rate of 52.3% were each the best marks among the 55 WR/TE with at least eight targets behind the line of scrimmage. His total of 11 first downs on those catches also led the NFL - he was the only qualifier to average more than one conversion per game on such passes. Aiyuk, San Francisco's 2020 first-round pick (25th overall), was also great on these plays. He ranked sixth among WR/TE with 1.3 targets behind the line of scrimmage per game. Aiyuk picked up 106 yards and six first downs across 16 targets (6.6 yards per target, 37.5% conversion rate). The Jets' most-utilized player on these passes was Braxton Berrios, who tied for 27th among WR/TE with 11 targets behind the line of scrimmage. He wasn't great on those plays with only 60 yards and two first downs (5.5 yards per target, 18.2% conversion rate). Finding a wide receiver or two who can make things happen on screen plays will be a must for the Jets throughout the free agency process and the draft. Personnel deployment The Jets and 49ers offenses were drastically different when it came to their personnel deployment in 2020. New York had a more traditional modern-day approach, relying heavily on 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR). The Jets used 11 personnel on 72% of their plays, the fifth-highest rate in the league. Meanwhile, San Francisco utilized 11 personnel just 44% of the time, ranking 29th. The 49ers relied heavily on personnel groupings that involved two backs. They ran 21 personnel (2 RB, 1 TE, 2 WR) on 33% of their plays, second-highest behind only the Patriots. The Niners ran 22 personnel (2 RB, 2 TE, 1 WR) on 9% of their plays, third-highest behind the Ravens and Raiders. Altogether, the 49ers deployed two backs on 42% of their plays, the highest rate in the league. They also led the NFL with a 39% rate in 2019. The league average for two-back deployment in 2020 was 12%. Gase's Jets barely used it all, sending out two backs only 1% of the time in 2020 and 8% of the time in 2019. One man allowed the 49ers to send two backs onto the field so frequently: Kyle Juszczyk. By far the most-utilized fullback in football over the past few years, Juszczyk played 43% of the 49ers' offensive snaps in 2020, averaging 29.5 snaps per game. His talents as a receiver make him a versatile threat and allow him to get on the field for far more action than one-dimensional fullbacks. Juszczyk is an unrestricted free agent. If the Jets are going to continue running two-back sets as often as the 49ers did, they are going to need the man known as "Juice." No other fullback in the league comes close to matching his skill-set. If the Jets do not add Juszczyk, they will likely still raise their two-back usage to a much higher level, perhaps one of the highest in the league, but they will not be able to warrant going as high as the 49ers did without a fullback as good as Juszczyk. With that being said, adding a fullback should be prioritized if the Jets want to boost their two-back usage to some extent. Trevon Wesco can handle some aspects of the position, but searching for a more pure fullback who also offers some capabilities as either a rusher or receiver might be the way to go. Here is a look at New York and San Francisco's personnel usage in 2020. Play action The 49ers used play-action on 28.0% of their passing dropbacks in 2020, ranking 12th in the league. Meanwhile, the Jets used it on 21.7% of their dropbacks, placing 27th. With Jimmy Garoppolo healthy, the Niners lean on play-action even more. Garoppolo used play-action on 32.3% of his dropbacks in 2020, the ninth-highest out of 39 qualified quarterbacks. In 2019, Garoppolo was in the same ballpark with a 31.9% rate, but that placed him even higher at fourth-highest out of 34 qualifiers. San Francisco's play-action game has been highly effective. Garoppolo averaged 9.0 yards per attempt off play-action in 2020, ranking 10th-of-39. He threw for a scorching 10.8 yards per attempt off of play fakes in 2019, placing 5th-of-34. Committee backfield From 2018-20, the largest number of carries accumulated by a 49ers running back in one season was Matt Breida's 153 totes in 2018 (10.9 per game over 14 appearances). That total by Breida stands as the 81st-highest single-season number in the league since 2018, which means the 49ers haven't had any of the league's top-80 rushing workhorses over the past three years. San Francisco's offense was built around a committee approach in the backfield. In 2020, the 49ers had three running backs eclipse 80 carries: Jerick McKinnon (81), Raheem Mostert (104), and Jeff Wilson (126). In 2019, they had three backs with over 120 carries: Matt Breida (123), Mostert (137), and Tevin Coleman (137). Plus, Juszczyk had a combined total of at least 25 targets and rush attempts in each season. The Jets are well-positioned for LaFleur to carry over this philosophy. They don't have an obvious top running back on the roster and most likely will not acquire one as they focus their premium assets on the many needs they have at more important positions. La'Mical Perine and Ty Johnson are under contract as intriguing young options with possible untapped potential while Josh Adams is coming off of a strong small-sample showing in 2020 and has a decent chance of returning since he is a restricted free agent. Add a mid-to-late round draft pick and/or one of the many interesting committee-ready backs on the free agent market, and the Jets will be all set to employ a true San Francisco-style group effort in the backfield.