The New York Jets are 2-5. Not even the most pessimistic Jets fan thought it was possible for that sentence to be uttered in 2024 (although perhaps I underestimate how well some of you understand the way things tend to work out for this football team), but here we are.
There are only two paths to 2-5 for a team that entered the season with expectations as high as the Jets. The first path is injuries. Many believed this was the likeliest threat to squash the Jets’ hopes, but New York has actually enjoyed relatively good health thus far.
The second path is to experience underwhelming production from the players who were responsible for raising the expectations so high in the first place. And that is why the Jets find themselves where they are.
We are about to break down the Jets’ five best players of the 2024 season so far. While it is great to see these players performing well, it is simultaneously disappointing that the list does not feature most of the seemingly obvious names you would have expected to see before the year began. The players billed as stars have not looked the part, and that is the team’s core problem.
That is a story that most fans are already well aware of, though. For now, let’s focus on the positive accomplishments of these five Jets players who have done their best to keep the team competitive.
5. LG John Simpson
John Simpson has been a successful free agent pickup for the Jets. Signed to a two-year, $12 million deal with only $6 million guaranteed, expectations weren’t immensely high for the 27-year-old, but he has been one of the most productive pass-blocking guards in football.
According to Pro Football Focus, Simpson has yielded only six total pressures on 303 pass-blocking snaps. That’s a pressure rate of 1.98%, the lowest rate among in the NFL among 60 qualified guards (min. 150 pass-blocking snaps).
PFF is also fond of Simpson’s run-blocking, giving him a 73.9 grade in that phase (14th among guards with 200+ offensive snaps), but I’ll agree to disagree there. Based on what I’ve seen on film, all five of the Jets’ offensive linemen have struggled in the run game, Simpson included. He has splashy moments where he mauls his man into the turf, but is very hit-or-miss. The Jets need better consistency him in that phase, regardless of what his PFF grade says.
While the entire offensive line remains a work in progress when it comes to run blocking, the Jets have to be thrilled about Simpson’s sturdiness in pass protection. Keeping Aaron Rodgers safe is the number one goal for this offensive line, and Simpson is doing his part.
4. RG Alijah Vera-Tucker
Simpson is not the only Jets guard thriving in pass protection.
Like Simpson, Alijah Vera-Tucker has yielded only six total pressures this season, although Simpson has played 23 more pass-blocking snaps (303 vs. 280). Still, Vera-Tucker’s allowed pressure rate of 2.14% ranks third-best among qualified guards, placing him two spots behind Simpson and one spot behind Denver’s Quinn Meinerz.
It is important to note that Simpson and Vera-Tucker are both benefiting from Aaron Rodgers’s quick release time. He is averaging 2.51 seconds to throw, the quickest among qualified quarterbacks. This certainly boosts the pass-blocking stats of the offensive line, as the opposing pass rushers often have no chance to create pressure.
With that being said, Simpson and Vera-Tucker still stand out as top-tier pass protectors even if you isolate the situations where they actually had to drop back and protect for an extended period of time (known as “true pass sets”). Simpson has allowed a 2.94% pressure rate on true pass sets, which still ranks first, while Vera-Tucker’s rate is 3.19%, which still ranks third.
Vera-Tucker is graded lower than Simpson in the run game at PFF, but from watching the film, I argue that Vera-Tucker has been more consistent. To be clear, AVT needs to improve, too, as he has not stood out with nearly as many highlight-reel blocks as he did over the last two seasons. However, I find myself pinpointing AVT as the culprit for a failed run play less frequently than Simpson, or any other lineman for that matter. This is why I have him ranked over Simpson.
3. CB D.J. Reed
D.J. Reed has missed two games this year, but when healthy, he has been a shutdown corner for the Jets.
When targeting Reed, opposing quarterbacks have completed 11-of-24 passes for 112 yards and no touchdowns. Reed’s targeted passer rating of 59.7 ranks ninth-best among 91 qualified cornerbacks (min. 200 defensive snaps). He is tied for eighth among cornerbacks with five pass breakups despite missing two games.
2. LB Jamien Sherwood
With C.J. Mosley sidelined for much of the season, Jamien Sherwood has stepped up in a big way, building on the promise he displayed across limited reps in 2023.
Sherwood’s impact is most palpable in coverage. As a converted safety, he has instincts and coverage skills that most other linebackers do not possess, and it shows in his statistics. He has allowed a passer rating of just 76.5 on throws into his coverage, which ranks fifth-lowest among 63 qualified linebackers (min. 200 defensive snaps).
Against the run, Sherwood is tied for 13th among linebackers with 13 run stops.
Sherwood is playing so well that it appears the Jets have promoted him to the starting linebacker spot over Mosley. Since returning in Week 6, Mosley has played just 13% and 32% of the Jets’ defensive snaps in the last two games, respectively. Sherwood has remained an every-down player since Mosley’s return, playing all but one snap over the last two games.
1. LB Quincy Williams
Quincy Williams is the lone Jets star who has felt like a star-caliber presence throughout the entirety of this season.
Week after week, Williams flies around making huge stops against the run, often bailing out a reckless defensive line that allows running backs to get through the first level with ease. In coverage, Williams uses his athleticism to defend a large amount of grass, and he’s a heat-seeking missile when closing on dump-offs into the flat.
An All-Pro in 2023, Williams is making a case to earn another appearance in 2024. He ranks sixth among linebackers with 25 defensive stops, and all the while, he has only been credited with four missed tackles. Williams joins Roquan Smith and Fred Warner as the only linebackers with 25+ defensive stops and 5-or-fewer missed tackles.
Williams’s 8.0% missed tackle rate is on pace to be a career-low. Occasional missed tackles have previously been the price of his highly aggressive play style, but if Williams maintains his improved tackling efficiency, he will be even more of a nightmare for opposing offenses to handle than he was in 2023.
Most of the Jets’ stars have only looked like their peak selves for fleeting moments this year. Quincy Williams is the lone star who has played up to his personal standards from San Francisco all the way to Pittsburgh.
