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New York Jets 2020 preview: Record prediction, X-factors, biggest questions

By Edward Rollo

ORCHARD PARK, NY - DECEMBER 29: Le'Veon Bell #26 of the New York Jets runs the ball during the first half against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field on December 29, 2019 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NY - DECEMBER 29: Le'Veon Bell #26 of the New York Jets runs the ball during the first half against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field on December 29, 2019 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
(Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /

New York Jets X-factors for the 2020 NFL season

Marcus Maye, Safety

At the start of the offseason, Marcus Maye’s future with the Jets was questionable. However, since Adams was traded, Maye will play a critical role as he lines up with McDougald. May graded out as the No. 20 safety in the 2019 season according to PFF (subscription required). The free safety had a grade of 74.5 per PFF.

He also has had praises heaped on him throughout the offseason. Adam Gase outlined his versatility in training camp, per SI.com:

"Marcus has very good awareness, especially in zones. He’s really good in man-to-man. He has a really good ability to break up balls in man-to-man coverage. You notice out here, he gets a lot of hands on the ball. He has a pretty tough match-up every day when him and Chris Herndon go at it. It’s fun to watch, When you are either a coach or a spectator, that’s a good match-up. Those are two good players going at it. Marcus brings a lot of versatility"

Adams left some big shoes to fill but Maye appears ready to step up as the new leader of the secondary and perhaps the defense as a whole.

Le’Veon Bell, Running Back

In his first season with New York, Bell looked like anything but a former All-Pro as he had only 789 rushing yards last season. But with the offensive line improving, could Bell’s effectiveness also increase? Could he hit 1,000 yards this season?

One of the reasons Bell also put behind his lack of production in 2019 was his fitness. That’s no longer the case, though. The running back is an offseason “best shape of his life” guy for the Jets but he also posted proof of that recently:

The Jets might just see a return of the Le’Veon Bell who dominated in Pittsburgh, eating yards for fun.

Denzel Mims, Wide Receiver

Yes, the Jets’ second-round pick has yet to play a down in the NFL. But in a toss-up between him and Breshad Perriman, the rookie is the bigger X-factor for this offense.

At Baylor, Mims thrived in contested-catch situations. For Darnold, the youngster can provide a big target that can make plays when the quarterback is under pressure and forced to make quick decisions. He will need to clean up his drops (13 over the last two seasons in college) but, if he can do that, he could be the start of something quite exciting in the Jets wide receiver corps.

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