Believe it or not, the Jets ranked in the top-10 in something in 2019.
During a season of mediocrity, the Jets special teams unit once again proved to be one of the team’s best assets. Brant Boyer’s unit finished No. 8 in Rick Gosselin’s special teams ranking report.
Gosselin, a 47-year vet on the NFL beat and a member of the Hall of Fame selection committee, compiled 22 categories surrounding special teams to create a list of the league’s best. The Jets ranked eighth overall thanks to top-three finishes in punt return yards (second, 11.6), yards allowed per kickoff (third, 19.0), yards allowed per punt (third, 43.67), and net yards allowed per punt (third, 38.8) despite a lot of turnover on the unit.
When the Jets elected to let Pro Bowl kicker Jason Myers and return specialist Andre Roberts leave in free agency, many believed the special teams would suffer mightily after finishing first in the NFL in 2018. But Boyer persisted and told his team back in June that there would be “no steps back.”
“It’s a tough situation,” Boyer said last offseason. “Those guys were awesome for us… You gain players every year, you lose players every year. And, is it hard to replace guys like that? It sure is. I’m confident that somebody will emerge and we can get that done.”
General manager Joe Douglas found his punt returner replacement quickly when he claimed former Patriots wideout Braxton Berrios, off waivers soon after joining the Jets. Berrios returned all 21 punts for the Jets this season and finished second in the league in average punt return yards.
As for his kick returners, duties were split between backup running back Ty Montgomery and wide receiver Vyncint Smith. The duo performed well enough – Montgomery averaged 20.2 yards per return and Smith averaged 29.9 yards per return. Second-year running back Trenton Cannon appeared in line for the majority of returns, but he landed on injured reserve after Week 7.
Where the Jets faltered in the rankings was their kicking and punting. They cycled through a few kickers before sticking with Sam Ficken, who only hit 19 of 27 field goals (70.4 percent), 23 of 26 of his extra points (88.5 percent) and ranked 39th in average kickoff yards. Punter Lac Edwards, meanwhile, ranked 15th in average punt yards (45.9) despite leading the league in punts (87) and total punt yards (3,991).
It’s hard to replicate the success of Myers, Roberts and the 2018 team, but Boyer did an admirable job coaching a unit that no one thought could maintain its excellence. There was bound to be a drop off in production when you lose a top-six kicker and the top return specialist and the Jets saved around $15 million by not re-signing their Pro Bowl special teams pair.
The Jets still need to solve the kicker issue for the longterm, but the rest of the unit seems sound heading into the 2020 season.