When targeting free agents this offseason, two factors will be critical for the New York Jets: cost and scheme fit.
The Jets are currently ranked 21st in the NFL with $15.8 million in cap space, per Spotrac. That number will rise after various moves, but no matter how you slice it, the Jets are certainly not positioned to be one of the league’s top spenders this year.
New York also has an entirely new coaching staff that projects to run vastly different schemes than the ones established by its predecessors. While shopping on a budget, the Jets can find value by identifying players who are perfect fits for Tanner Engstrand’s offense and Steve Wilks’ defense.
Here are three affordable free agent targets who could be bargain buys for the Jets because of scheme compatability.
Chauncey Golston, DE, Cowboys
Both Aaron Glenn and Steve Wilks value having a tweener defensive end with enough size to be a formidable edge-setter on run downs and enough athleticism to win inside on pass downs. For instance, Glenn had John Cominsky from 2022-23 and Levi Onwuzurike in 2024, while Wilks had Yetur Gross-Matos and Henry Anderson with the Panthers in 2022.
The Jets had one of the league’s best players in this mold, John Franklin-Myers, but Joe Douglas shipped him away for a package equivalent in value to one bag of Cool Ranch Doritos. With no viable fits for this role on the current roster, Glenn and Wilks will seek outside help.
Chauncey Golston projects as an ideal fit who should not break the bank. In 2024, Golston was one of the NFL’s prototype tweener defensive ends, playing 299 snaps on the interior and 487 on the edge. Among those 299 interior snaps, Golston played 211 over the tackle (4i or 4-tech), 84 over the guard (3, 2, or 2i-tech), and 4 over the center (1 or 0-tech).
Golston is smaller than most players in this mold, checking in at 268 pounds (as opposed to the typical 275-290 range). His elite length and mammoth hands allow him to play above his weight. Golston stands at 6-foot-5 with an 84.375-inch wingspan (96th percentile for DE) and 10.875-inch hands (95th percentile).
Across 17 games, Golston provided solid two-way production for Dallas, which is what the Jets will be seeking in this role. Along with 5.5 sacks and 37 total pressures, Golston added 21 run stops, good for 13th among edge defenders.
Spotrac projects Golston to have a market value of $7.3 million annually. That would be an affordable price for the Jets’ budget. As an ideal scheme fit who fills a big hole in the Jets’ defense, Golston could provide a strong return on investment.
Eric Stokes, CB, Packers
D.J. Reed will hit free agency and is widely viewed as the top cornerback on the market, so he may demand a contract that is too rich for the Jets’ liking. Reed also openly expressed his eagerness for free agency near the end of the season, saying he’s “ready to see what’s next.”
This means New York will have a starting spot to fill on the outside across from Sauce Gardner. The Jets have in-house options in Qwan’tez Stiggers and Jarrick Bernard-Converse, although they were late-round picks and have yet to show much in the NFL.
The Jets could address this hole as early as the seventh overall pick with a prospect like Michigan’s Will Johnson. Even if that is the plan, New York would be wise to fill this spot with a veteran who can be relied upon to start. You never know whether the prospect you want will fall to your pick or whether he will be as good as you expect him to be.
When evaluating prospective cornerbacks for Steve Wilks’ defense, zone coverage skills are the top priority. The Jets project to run a zone-heavy scheme under Wilks; each of his past four teams ranked top-10 in zone coverage rate, while three of the four ranked top-four. The average zone rate of Wilks’ past four teams was 80%.
This means the Jets can find value by targeting cornerbacks who struggle in man but thrive in zone. Green Bay’s Eric Stokes stands out as an appealing candidate.
A former first-round pick in the 2021 draft, Stokes started his career with a solid rookie season, but injuries plagued his second and third seasons. Stokes played only 12 games from 2022-23 and mostly struggled. The Packers declined his fifth-year option for the 2025 season.
In 2024, Stokes stayed healthy for all 17 games (7 starts), playing 54% of Green Bay’s defensive snaps. Stokes excelled in zone coverage, earning an 80.3 zone coverage grade at Pro Football Focus, which ranked 10th-best among 114 qualified cornerbacks (min. 200 coverage snaps). When playing zone, Stokes allowed 18-of-30 passing for 158 yards and no touchdowns, which equates to 5.3 yards per target and a 74.0 passer rating.
The most noteworthy aspect of Stokes’ game was his ability to prevent YAC, which is essential in a zone scheme. Stokes allowed 2.1 YAC per reception, ranked fourth-best out of 114 qualifiers.
At his pro day in 2021, Stokes was clocked with an unofficial time of 4.25 seconds in the forty-yard dash. You can still see this speed show up when he is closing ground to make tackles underneath, which is an important trait for zone corners.
However, Stokes was scorched in man coverage. He earned a 29.4 man coverage grade at PFF (fifth-worst), yielding 14-of-22 passing for 158 yards and three touchdowns (124.6 passer rating).
Stokes is precisely the type of player New York can find value with. While he does not currently have a market value listed at Spotrac, it is likely that his cost will be low due to his injury history, man coverage woes, and lack of takeaways (one career INT). However, in Wilks’ zone-heavy scheme, his strengths would be emphasized, potentially giving New York a solid starter for an affordable price.
Mo Alie-Cox, TE, Colts
Strengthening the tight end unit will be necessary for the Jets if Tanner Engstrand’s offense carries the same values as the Detroit offense he hails from. In particular, they need tight ends who can lead the way as blockers in the run game.
In 2024, the Lions used 12 personnel (1 RB/2 TE/2 WR) on 32.3% of their offensive plays, ranking third-highest in the NFL. These packages were primarily used to spark the run game, as Detroit ranked second in the NFL with 12.1 rush attempts per game out of 12 personnel.
Not only did the Lions rack up a ton of rush attempts with multiple tight ends on the field, but the tight ends were instrumental cogs in those run plays. Detroit ran toward the strong side of the formation on 52.9% of their rush attempts out of 12 personnel, the NFL’s fifth-highest rate. This means the Lions ran behind their tight ends more often than most teams.
If the Jets carry over the same tendencies, it dramatically emphasizes the value of having a TE2 who can run block. The Jets would get significantly more value out of this role than the average NFL team, allowing them to get a tremendous return on their investment in free agency.
Longtime Colts tight end Mo Alie-Cox stands out as an intriguing option. The 31-year-old has spent all seven of his NFL seasons in Indy, playing 108 games with 47 starts, yet he only has 1,433 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns (205/2 per season). His sustainability in the league is thanks to solid blocking, which he maintains to this day.
In 2024, Alie-Cox earned a run-blocking grade of 64.2 at PFF, which ranked 13th-best out of 57 qualified tight ends (min. 200 blocking snaps). Alie-Cox has posted a run-blocking grade of 60.0+ in six of his seven NFL seasons.
Alie-Cox did not provide much value as a receiver, catching just 12 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown in 17 games. Yet, because of his blocking, the Colts still trusted him enough to give him 475 offensive snaps (44%).
At 31 years old with limited receiving production, Alie-Cox will likely come cheap on the open market. But for a Jets team that projects to utilize plenty of 12 personnel and run behind the tight ends at a high rate on those plays, signing a player like Alie-Cox is a smart way to squeeze maximum impact out of a low-tier free agent investment.
