Getty New York Jets defensive lineman Jonathan Marshall working out with some of his teammates.
The New York Jets finished 4-13 last season. It was their 10th losing season in the last 11 years.
With that level of mediocrity, it was unlikely that the green and white were going to be able to fix every problem in a single offseason. In other words, sometimes you have to work with what you got and hope it is good enough.
That sets up Gang Green for a very interesting case study this season.
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A Surprising Player Expected to Step Up
Connor Hughes of The Athletic recently highlighted Jonathan Marshall as an “x-factor” to watch this season for Gang Green.
One of the weaknesses on the Jets roster they failed to address at any stage of this offseason is their run defense.
Gang Green allowed over 2,351 yards on the ground last season which was fourth-worst in the league.
There were several games last season that they were simply run out of the building:
- Week 9 at Indianapolis Colts: allowed 260 rushing yards
- Week 13 vs Philadelphia Eagles: allowed 185 rushing yards
- Week 14 vs New Orleans Saints: allowed 203 rushing yards
How did they look to solve said issues?
They let their best-run defender, Foley Fatukasi, walk away in free agency.
With limited available options in the latter stages of the offseason, the Jets have no other choice but to trust what is left on the roster and hope for the best.
Irony at Its Finest
It seems like the Jets are hoping to replace Foley Fatukasi with none other than Foley Fatukasi.
Let me explain.
Fatukasi originally entered the league as the No. 180 overall pick in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL draft.
He only played one game in his rookie season as he developed and waited patiently on the bench.
Although when he got his shot over the last three years he exploded with impressive results:
- 115 total tackles
- 87.6 and 86.2 run grades through PFF in 2019, 2020
That is a large reason why he got paid handsomely this offseason to the tune of $30 million by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Now the Jets are hoping for a similar career path for Marshall.
He also came from humble beginnings as a former sixth-round draft choice (No. 207 overall) out of Arkansas.
Also similarly he had marginal production during his rookie season only appearing in four games.
Some nice wins for #Jets DL last night
-Rankins with the light feet, big QB hit
-Bryce Huff’s tight corner turn/bend for a sack
-Great effort play by JFM almost leads to INT
-6th round rookie Jonathan Marshall’s pressure creates a sack and gets a safety later on – he’s explosive
Gang Green was really fortunate to have Fatukasi make those kinds of contributions as a day three pick. It seems like they’re hoping lightning will strike twice in the same place in 2022.
It’s a bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off for them.
Marshall is a former basketball and football high school star from Texas. A one-year starter in college that displayed traits and glimpses of what he could be but struggled with consistency.
This obviously explains why he fell all the way to the sixth round in the 2021 NFL draft.
If he can realize his full potential with the Jets this season then the gamble is going to pay off in a major way. If he is unable to be a consistent cog in the run game defensively, ignoring this position in the offseason could haunt the Jets all year long.
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