Quickly following a 24-0 shutout against the rival Miami Dolphins, the New York Jets traded long time veteran Steve McLendon to Tampa Bay.

Since arriving to the New York Jets in 2016, the defensive tackle recorded seven and a half (7.5) sacks, 158 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, and 17 QB hits. McLendon was sent along with a 2023 seventh round draft pick in exchange for a 2022 sixth round pick. Described as a favorite player in the locker room, and multi-year team captain, the trade away of a seasoned veteran, as well as the release of All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell means one thing for Gang Green: Fire Sale.

Rebuilding 101

DT Steve McLendon should not be the last person traded away from the Jets before the deadline. Before next season, expect a lot of additional players to be released. For the past few seasons, Jets fans have disgruntledly joked about years upon years of rebuilding. Those season were not legitimate rebuilding years. Rebuilding, and suffering through poor management are not the same stages of running a sports team. A New York Jets Fire Sale presented by Joe Douglas is true rebuilding.

Inheriting this dumpster fire of a team, Joe Douglas has his goals set in front of him: build a winning organization. After an 0-6 start, he is starting from rock bottom. That means anyone he doesn’t want, or anyone he can get substantial value for is for sale. These aren’t players he drafted or signed off free agency. Expect to see some of these individuals go.

Potential Traded/Released Players

Avery Williamson/CJ Mosley

Avery Williamson and CJ Mosley are two potential players who might fetch worthy compensation on the trade block. Neither player was signed by Douglas, and neither player has fully lived up to their contracts. They’re both fan favorites, yes. But Avery Williamson has taken an inconsistent amount of snaps. He has taken as many as 70 snaps in a game, but as low as 17. Similarly, after forking over a 5-year $85 million contract to CJ Mosley, he’s only played in 2 games for the Jets. This follows a groin injury in 2019, and an opt-out of the 2020 season.

Henry Anderson/Quinnen Williams

Quinnen Williams is starting to increase his production levels. Only six games into the season, and he’s almost tied all of his stats from last year. Williams isn’t someone Douglas has expressed interest in intentionally trading, he’s said everyone has a price. The haul for the 22 year old would need to be great, seeing as his departure would hurt the defensive line even more.

Henry Anderson will be gone at the end of this season regardless of if he’s shipped off before the trade deadline. Anderson set career highs with the Jets in 2018, and has been on a downward trend since. Outside of stats, his film play has been less than fantastic. Just another bad signing.

Brian Poole

In a world on fire, Brian Poole has been a bright spot for the Jets consistently. In 2019, Poole was ranked as Pro Football Focus’ highest-grade slot cornerback. His one-year contract paid off, and the Jets signed him to another one-year deal. Statistically, he is on pace to match his outstanding 2019 season, and already has surpassed his interception total from last year. A solid player, Poole has the potential to be sold at a high value. While it would be unfortunate to see someone like him being successful, everyone has a price.

Chris Herndon

After a convincing rookie season, Herndon missed the majority of the 2019 season, had as fallen out of favor in the current season. He’s caught 13 of his 22 targets for a grand total of 98 yards. He’s already recorded three drops. There’s less effort to get him the ball. If you have new management, and you aren’t popular with the new management…well, the writing is on the wall. The upside to Herndon could fetch a nice bounty, especially after dealing an extension to Ryan Griffin.

Marcus Maye/Bradley McDougald

Marcus Maye is the only remaining player from the 2017 draft class. After living in the shadows of Jamal Adams, the Jets first-round pick that year, Maye has established himself as a legitimate starting safety. He’s excelled in both coverage, and run support. While never able to fully replace Adams, Maye has been a top-ranked defensive player by Pro Football Focus, and another bright spot in a very dark season. But again, his increased level of play could bring in some higher value trades in exchange for the second-rounder. A Marcus Maye trade is the least-likely trade on this list of players.

In exchange for Jamal Adams, part of Seattle’s package was Bradley McDougald, who has been one of the worst ranked defenders by Pro Football Focus. He currently has a 43.5 PFF ranking, contrary to the fourth-best coverage safety New York was expecting to receive.  In his defense, it’s his first year in this new system. But he shouldn’t be playing at such an abysmal level.

 

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