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New York Jets: Grading the Anthony Barr signing in free agency

By Nathan Beighle

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 16: Sheldon Richardson #93 of the Minnesota Vikings reacts after teammate Anthony Barr #55 sacked Ryan Tannehill #17 of the Miami Dolphins in the third quarter of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 16, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 16: Sheldon Richardson #93 of the Minnesota Vikings reacts after teammate Anthony Barr #55 sacked Ryan Tannehill #17 of the Miami Dolphins in the third quarter of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 16, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images) /
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The New York Jets have added to their defense with the signing of former Minnesota Vikings outside linebacker Anthony Barr.

Update: The legal tampering period with no actual signings has bitten the New York Jets. Per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Barr has decided not to sign with the Jets and will remain with the Minnesota Vikings on a new deal. 

With the chaos of free agency in full swing, the New York Jets have been one of the numerous teams to make high-profile moves to improve their defense. They did so by signing outside linebacker Anthony Barr.

NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported the Jets’ signing. However, no source has yet to disclose the price at which the Jets paid for the linebacker, so the overall value of this deal is yet to be determined.

A top-10 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Barr saw snaps in 13 games last season, recording no interceptions, three sacks and 55 combined tackles. Barr’s played 10+ games in all five of his professional season and missed zero games in two of those seasons.

Barr was a top-40 free agent option according to USA Today. That said, how much does it improve the Jets’ defense for what we assume will be a moderately high price tag? After all, Kwon Alexander, the No. 38 ranked free agent, got four years and $54 million. If it’s similar to that deal, what grade would you give the Jets?

. OLB. New York Jets. ANTHONY BARR. A-

Per overthecap.com, the Jets rank second in cap space for the 2019 offseason. They needed to make moves in order to compete in the AFC East, a division perennially dominated by the New England Patriots.

The Jets were in the bottom-ten in opponent’s yards per game last season. They were also in the bottom half of the league in sacks. There were gaps in the Jets’ defense that needed to be filled, and while Barr doesn’t solve all their issues, it’s certainly an impressive start.

With cap space to make big-time moves, the Jets decided to start their free agency fiasco off with a bang by bringing in Anthony Barr.

Pro Football Focus ranked Barr as the third-best linebacker in the 2019 free agency class. They loved his ability to cover the middle of the field.

"He led all linebackers with a 13.8 pass-rushing productivity percentage, accumulating 23 pressures on just 94 pass-rush snaps. Whoever Barr lands with will also be getting someone who can cover the middle of the field relatively well."

For the Jets, bringing on a talent like Barr will significantly improve their roster in an area that was one of the weakest in the league last season.

Next. 2019 NFL Mock Draft: Post-combine two-round projection. dark

The details, including the number of years the contract is guaranteed for, is not known. That said, hopefully, they can lock up the 26-year old for at least three seasons. Pairing Barr with C.J. Mosley, another free agency signing, the Jets have seriously bolstered their linebacker corps.

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