The inside linebacker position was a mess for the Jets in 2019.
Avery Williamson missed the entire season following an avoidable preseason injury and C.J. Mosley was out for 14 games. With the two starters essentially non-factors, the Jets were forced to go with a bevy of unproven players up the middle. At times, the defense suffered because of it.
But with the return of Mosley, Blake Cashman, Neville Hewitt and James Burgess, along with the addition of Patrick Onwuasoar, Joe Douglas is looking to turn one of the Jets’ weakest defensive positions in 2019 into one of the deepest in 2020.
(Williamson is also due back, but there’s a chance he becomes a cap casualty.)
The Jets fielded a ragtag group of inside linebackers in 2019 between Cashman, Hewitt and Burgess after Williamson and Mosley went down with injuries. That trio combined for 22 starts in 71 games prior to 2019 and proved the Jets’ true lack of depth. Journeymen B.J. Bello and Albert McClellan barely contributed with 14 combined tackles in 13 combined starts.
Douglas realized he needed to fix that and it’s likely a big reason why he brought back Hewitt and Burgess and signed Onwuasoar. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams now has a solid group of six linebackers with ample amounts of starts at his disposal, something he had for only a week or two in 2019.
Onwuasoar is an interesting addition considering his versatility at linebacker. He started 25 games alongside Mosley in the middle of the Ravens’ defense in 2017 and 2018, but played some outside linebacker in 2019. With the Jets currently thin on the outside – only Jordan Jenkins, Harvey Langi, Tarrell Basham and Frankie Luvu are on the roster – Onwuasoar can switch positions on the fly wherever Williams needs him.
The linebacker corps now offers a solid mix of coverage and pass-rush specialists behind Mosley and Williamson. Hewitt and Onwuasoar can give the Jets speed at linebacker when Williams wants to blitz with his backups, while Cashman is better in coverage. All six have starting experience as well, should injury strike the Jets again and they need quality players to fill in.
The biggest problem facing the Jets’ depth is none of these linebackers behind Williamson and Mosley are great. They’re all good, serviceable players but not up to the level necessary to hold down a defense. Williamson could still be a cap casualty given he could save the Jets $6.5 million, but only if Douglas and Williams believe the other four linebackers are viable starters. After 2019, though, it would be wise for the Jets to keep Williamson and maintain solid depth behind their two starters.
Burgess actually had the highest Pro Football Focus grade (54.9) in 2019 out of him, Hewitt, Cashman and Onwuasoar. That isn’t saying much for a team that needs consistency even with its role players. The hope with these signings is that the five returning Jets can build off their 2019 season and Onwuasoar can provide an extra layer of production for a deeper unit.
The Jets defense kept a lot of its core from 2019 and could still add a pass rusher in free agency or the draft. But by tightening the middle of the defense by re-signing their own players and bringing in a linebacker with starting experience and 8.5 sacks in two seasons, Douglas is setting Williams up for more success at the linebacker position with six solid players.