New York Jets: John Simon should be signed for edge
The New York Jets only kept six linebackers on their initial 53-man roster, three outside and three inside. They should add the recently released John Simon to the edge.
The Indianapolis Colts released veteran edge rusher John Simon. He has accrued more than four years of service in the NFL. That means he doesn’t hit the wavier wire and is immediately available to be signed. The New York Jets should sign John Simon, because they desperately need an edge rusher.
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), the best career Pass Rush Productivity for the edge rushers that made the team — Brandon Copeland, Jordan Jenkins, and Josh Martin — is Jenkins with 8.22. Simon’s career PRP of 8.49 would easily be the highest among the group, and pairing him with Jenkins would be great for the team, and for the improvement of Jenkins.
The addition of Simon would also help the Jets overall team pass rush. Having an edge rusher like Simon would take some double-teams off of Leonard Williams, and it would help the Jets be able to create the pressure the way they’d prefer, up the middle. The time the Jets defense was at their best was when Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson got pressure up the middle.
In addition to the pass rush ability, Simon has also contributed 17 tackles for loss in his career. So he’s no slouch in the run game.
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The edge needs a drastic improvement, and Simon is only 28 years old come the end of the 2018 season. So he’s not too old to consider signing long-term. The Jets can then focus on the offensive line in the 2019 NFL Draft. HIs signing would come at the perfect time for the Jets and fill a huge need. Now is the time for the Jets to make their move.
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