The Jets’ offensive renaissance will begin in 2021 with the implementation of Mike LaFleur’s wide-zone offense.
It’s essentially a scheme that pushes the defensive line around the line of scrimmage horizontally instead of vertically to open up running lanes. With that in mind, Joe Douglas went out and grabbed as many skill position players and offensive linemen as he could that fit this scheme.
Douglas did a good job of that with his first two picks, Zach Wilson and Alijah Vera-Tucker, but he did an even better job bolstering his running game when he drafted running back Michael Carter in the fourth round.
Carter isn’t a traditional three-down back by any means. His 5-foot-8, 201-pound frame won’t bulldoze defenders like Derrick Henry, and he split time at North Carolina with now-Broncos running back Javonte Williams. But Carter’s familiarity with the Jets’ offense, combined with his production and skills in college, makes him a favorite to eventually lead New York’s running back group.
Carter tested as one of the best short-area rushers in the past 20 years coming out of college with a 1.65-second 10-yard split. He also averaged eight yards per rush and averaged 4.5 yards after contact per rush attempt in 2020, which ranked first and fifth among FBS running backs with at least 100 carries, according to Jets X-Factor’s Michael Nania.
These are all attributes necessary for the wide-zone scheme. The Jets don’t need a heavy-hitter or a speed-only back; New York needs a player with vision who can shoot through the gaps and accelerate into open space. That’s Carter in a nutshell. He can also be a home-run hitter on the ground. Carter finished with 29 rushes of at least 15 yards – first in the country.
Carter appears ecstatic to play in this offense. He told reporters after the draft he was “very familiar” with the wide-zone scheme after playing in it in college, high school and earlier.
“I think my change of direction and my stop-start ability, I think it compliments this system well,” Carter said, according to the New York Daily News. “I’ve been running pretty much wide zone since I was born. So it’s something that really comes naturally to me.”
Based on his 2020 usage at North Carolina, Carter should see a lot of time on first or second down once he becomes better acclimated to the offense. He rushed 106 times for 836 yards this past season on first down, compared to 50 times for 409 yards on second and third down. The Jets can then swap him out for some of their other backs to complete the committee. Tevin Coleman is a great third-down rusher with experience in this offense, while Ty Johnson, La’Mical Perine and Josh Adams are a little bit bigger rushers who can fight for those short-yardage situations.
It’s anyone’s guess as to how the Jets will incorporate all their new skill position players in 2021. Gang Green has an abundance of talent to work with after free agency and the draft, and it appears these new faces will be good fits in the wide-zone scheme. But not everyone can touch the ball at once, so it’ll be on young players like Carter to prove their worth earlier on or get lost in the shuffle.
[listicle id=659230]