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5 NFL teams that made the leap to contenders after the 2022 NFL Draft

By Sayre Bedinger

2022 NFL Draft; Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz, head coach Ron Rivera and Co-CEO Tanya Snyder pose with the team helmet at Inova Sports Performance Center Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: John McCreary-USA TODAY Sports
2022 NFL Draft; Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz, head coach Ron Rivera and Co-CEO Tanya Snyder pose with the team helmet at Inova Sports Performance Center Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: John McCreary-USA TODAY Sports /
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2022 NFL Draft
2022 NFL Draft; New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (2) drops back to pass against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /

Post-2022 NFL Draft contender no. 4: New York Jets

You’re not going to see a meteoric rise every single year like the one we saw from the Cincinnati Bengals, but for the purposes of this exercise, I thought to myself…who could be this year’s version, if there is one?

I don’t know that there’s a better pick than the New York Jets.

The Jets have a high-upside quarterback in Zach Wilson whose rookie season was definitely a bit of a disappointment.

With that being said, the Jets have made some substantial upgrades in the 2022 offseason, especially during the 2022 NFL Draft, that could propel them into “contender” status at least as a Wild Card team.

That whole possibility really hinges on Wilson taking another step, but there are pieces in place for the Jets to be very interesting this season.

They added Laken Tomlinson to fortify the interior offensive line. They brought in some desperately needed help at the tight end position with three acquisitions — CJ Uzomah from the Bengals, Tyler Conklin from the Vikings, and Jeremy Ruckert from Ohio State.

The Jets failed to add Deebo Samuel or Tyreek Hill but they landed maybe the best receiver in the 2022 NFL Draft in Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson. They also landed the top running back in the Draft in Breece Hall.

Defensively, the Jets already had a tough defensive line to which they added free agent Solomon Thomas and one of the top steals of the 2022 NFL Draft Jermaine Johnson.

The Jets also added Sauce Gardner, Jordan Whitehead, DJ Reed, and Lamarcus Joyner to the secondary.

Calling this team a potential contender may be a bit rich, but they are certainly the best candidate among the teams that were picking in the top 10, in my opinion.

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