WATCH: Highlights of new Jets DB Ashtyn Davis

Here are Ashtyn Davis’s senior year highlights from California.

In a surprise pick in the third round, the Jets went with California defensive back Ashtyn Davis.

Davis converted from a cornerback to a safety after his sophomore season. He has good cover skills for a safety, but is best known for his run-stopping ability. He also returned kicks and was a gunner on special teams at California.

As a defensive back, Davis recorded 166 total tackles, seven interceptions and 12 pass breakups. He had 1,604 kick return yards on special teams.

Let’s take a look at some of his 2019 highlights at California:

Jets littered with holes on special teams after first wave of free agency

Jets Wire examines Gang Green’s current special teams situation and why things have to change sooner rather than later.

Jets general manager Joe Douglas did some good work improving New York’s roster throughout the first wave of free agency. He revamped the offensive line, added a new deep threat at wide receiver, brought back a pair of in-house free agents and inked a new starting cornerback.

There is one group littered with holes that Gang Green’s first-year general manager did not address, though.

While the Jets have improved on offense and defense, special teams have been almost completely ignored. Douglas somewhat addressed the legmen by signing Brett Maher to a futures/reserve contract in December, tending Sam Ficken and signing 23-year-old punter Ian Berryman in February, but none of those moves come off as improvements.

It’s hard to blame Douglas for letting special teams fall by the wayside a little bit in the opening days of free agency. The Jets had much more pressing needs on offense and defense that required Douglas’ complete attention. Kicking and punting issues are usually solved either later in free agency or before training camp anyway, which does not make this some sort of major gaffe on Douglas’ part.

With that being said, the Jets can’t afford to ignore the numerous holes that could plague the unit in 2020 for much longer. Maher isn’t much of an upgrade over Ficken, which is saying a lot. He converted only 66 percent of his field goals last season, while Ficken hit 70 percent.

As for Berryman, he has never punted in a regular season game. That does not mean he isn’t up for the task, but it’s hard to justify replacing Lachlan Edwards, who remains an unrestricted free agent, with a player with no regular season experience just to save a little bit of money.

Special teams are just as important a facet of the game as offense and defense. Without a kicker who can consistently put the ball through the uprights and a punter that can flip field position, the Jets are going to suffer.

If there is any special teams coach that can make due what he is given, it’s Brant Boyer. As good as Boyer is at what he does, though, he’s not a magician. It might be a harsh criticism considering Maher and Berryman have yet to go through a single practice with the Jets, but it is seriously worth wondering if these two are capable of accomplishing what Boyer is asking of them.

It’s safe to assume Douglas’ work in this area is far from done. Competition will be brought in throughout the summer and the best players will ultimately win out. As it stands right now, though, things aren’t looking too hot for the Jets on special teams.

That has to change sooner rather than later.

Jets’ deal with S Marqui Christian falls through

The Jets and free agent safety Marqui Christian were unable to finalize a contract after agreeing on a one-year deal last week.

It was reported that the Jets agreed to a deal with free agent safety Marqui Christian last week, but it turns out that wasn’t the case.

A week later, the deal between Christian and the Jets has fallen through, according to the New York Post’s Brian Costello. The Jets ultimately decided to move on.

Last week, the Jets and Christian agreed to terms on a one-year, $2 million deal. However, the deal was never finalized and now it never will be.

Christian was projected to be the third safety on the Jets’ depth chart behind starters Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye. Christian has spent the last four seasons with the Rams after being drafted by the Cardinals in the fifth round in 2016 out of Midwestern State.

The 25-year-old has appeared in 55 games over his career, primarily on special teams. In 55 games, Christian has registered 61 total tackles and three pass breakups.

Jets re-sign safety Bennett Jackson

The Jets have re-signed safety Bennett Jackson.

The Jets -signed safety Bennett Jackson on Tuesday, according to The Athletic’s Connor Hughes.

Jackson only played in two games for the Jets in 2019 and recorded one tackle in Week 15 against the Ravens. He started the season with Baltimore before being cut at the end of August. The Jets claimed him off waivers before the start of the regular season, but he was cut and re-signed to the practice squad two weeks later.

In October, the Ravens re-signed Jackson to the active roster. By December, the Ravens moved on from him and the Jets picked him up again. New York decided not to give him an exclusive rights free agent tender this offseason, which made him a free agent.

Originally, Jackson was a sixth-round pick by the Giants in 2014 out of Notre Dame.

Jets Free Agent Profile: What to do with K Sam Ficken?

Here’s a free agent profile of what the Jets should do with kicker Sam Ficken.

Before Joe Douglas can focus on who he plans to target in free agency come March, he’ll have a handful of in-house decisions to make.

The Jets have 32 players set to hit the open market this offseason. Some don’t figure to factor into New York’s plans for 2020, while it’s safe to assume the Jets would like to keep others around for a while. Either way, Douglas has a lot of work to do in his first offseason on the job.

Sam Ficken was an early season acquisition by the Jets after they moved on from Kaare Vedvik. It was a short-term kicker fix for the Jets that didn’t go very well. But if the Jets want to keep someone around that they’re familiar with, then Ficken is an option.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of holding onto Ficken for the 2020 season.

Pros of keeping him

There’s no denying that Ficken had a bad 2019 season, but keep in mind it was the first year he actually kicked a full season.

Ficken was 19-27 on field goal attempts and 23-26 on extra points. He struggled in field goals of 40 or more yards but was strong in kicks under 40 yards. However, there was improvement toward the end of the regular season. Three of the last six games Ficken was 100 percent on his field goal attempts.

So if the Jets believe that his end of year success can translate into next season, then it might warrant his return.

Cons of keeping him

The consistency and inability to kick long field goals hurts Ficken’s possibility of coming back next season.

He was just 10-17 on field goals of 40 or more yards in 2019. It’s not that he didn’t have the leg for them, but his accuracy was not very strong. His longest made field goal of the season came from 54 yards out, which in today’s NFL is not too far.

You simply can’t have kickers who are inconsistent and can’t kick long-range field goals in the NFL anymore, so it might be time to find a kicker who can.

The Verdict

More likely than not, the Jets are going to try to bring in a new kicker for 2020. You can’t have a revolving door of kickers keep coming in when things start to go south. While kicker is not a sexy position, they can be the difference between a win and a loss.

Ficken is an exclusive rights free agent, meaning the Jets only have to offer him the minimum in free agency. But it’s time to look for some stability at the position and bring someone in who can actually kick on a consistent basis.