New York Jets: Evaluating the State of the Team

Taking a look at the current state of the New York Jets as the 2017 offseason gets set to officially get underway.

The New York Jets sit in an interesting position as they continue to keep close eyes on the 2017 NFL Combine. Typically, this time of year is a complete focus on the young players. The stars of tomorrow are being showcased in Indianapolis. Coming out of a five-win season, the Jets have quite a few holes to fill, and the draft is the most sustainable way to solve them.

However, the team has been quite active over the last several days in an apparent roster purge. Nick Mangold has been released, Darrelle Revis was next and Brandon Marshall was the latest salary cap casualty. So far, the Jets, who were in salary cap jail, have freed up $46 million in cap space (per Rich Cimini of ESPN). Mike Maccagnan stated that all of the Jets draft picks are available, and he has informed his fellow general managers of this point. The team has many holes and Maccagnan is looking for anyway to fill those holes, with any trade to potentially increase his draft pick total. Currently the Jets have seven picks.

On the roster front, Maccagnan may not be done, per Rich Cimini of ESPN:

"The Jets aren’t done cutting players, per sources. Marcus Gilchrist, Calvin Pryor, Eric Decker, Buster Skrine and Sheldon Richardson are in danger of losing their roster spots. They could try to trade Pryor and Richardson, both former first-round picks. David Harris appears safe for now, but that could change if they sign a free agent at inside linebacker."

Decker isn’t healthy yet so according to he will be remaining on the team, for now:

So it seems as if Decker will be around, at least for a while. But there are still likely cuts to be coming. It begs the question: What is the identity of the New York Jets?

It appears like the team is in the midst of a total rebuild. Hall of Fame general manager Bill Polian even hinted that the Jets might be tanking the 2017 season to obtain a high draft pick in 2018 (via CBS Sports). Todd Bowles, for his part, doesn’t believe the team is going to rebuild, per Brian Costello of the NY Post.

More from NFL Spin Zone

• Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
• Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
• Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
• Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
• Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens

It may appear like a total purge or rebuild, but the fact is we really don’t know what this team is going to be in the upcoming year. There may be some ramifications to this crisis of identity. If the Jets don’t have a clear picture of it in their mind, it will affect the work moving forward towards 2017.

First and foremost, the strategy will present itself during the free agency process. Do they put all of their eggs in the A.J. Bouye basket? Do they rebuild the offensive line? Do they bring in offensive weapons to take the place of Marshall and potentially others? This will go a long way in telling Jets fans whether or not this team is tanking, as Polian suggested, or looking to seriously compete in 2017.

This strategy could determine a lot with the Jets biggest need. Fans know which one I am talking about, it’s the one that has been a need for several decades. The quarterback position has been open since before some of us were born. For two years, the team has been connected with Mike Glennon. Now that he has turned down an offer to stay in Tampa Bay as a backup, per James Yarcho of the Pewter Plank, he is on the open market.

The identity of the team will be an important factor in gauging Glennon’s interest. Would he be interested in becoming the quarterback of a team that is in a full rebuild? Would he prefer to be the starter for a team that is ready to compete? Just because New York is interested in Glennon doesn’t mean he will be interested in them.

The Jets must define their identity.

Next: The Love-Hate Relationship Between Revis and New York

Finally, what about Bowles? It is a widely held belief that this is a pivotal year for him. Many wanted him fired after Year 2, but owner Woody Johnson brought him back for a third. The team could take a huge step back in the record department with a rebuild. How does Bowles keep his job if the Jets end up with the No. 1 pick? What is the criteria? It makes for interesting discussion. The next few weeks will be very interesting. Whatever the Jets decide is their identity and direction will be huge.