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The New York Jets might be ready to hit the eject button on some excess baggage ahead of the NFL trade deadline.
Moe Moton of Bleacher Report joined me on “Boy Green Daily” to discuss some potential deals that could be made during the bye week.
New York Jets receive: 2024 third round pick
Las Vegas Raiders receive: veteran defensive lineman Carl Lawson
A Mutually Beneficial Deal for the Raiders and the Jets
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic said it “wouldn’t be surprising” if Lawson found his way on the trade block.
The veteran defensive lineman was a healthy scratch for the Week 5 game against the Denver Broncos and has fallen down the depth chart.
Moe Moton covers the NFL from a national perspective for Bleacher Report and additionally covers the Raiders.
Moton explained on “Boy Green Daily” that with the Raiders, Lawson could be a starter “and a contributor.”
“The defense is playing at the highest level that I can remember in a very long time,” Moton said. “If they could get a pass rusher it would kind of complete it. I’m not saying it would be top-10 but it could be a top-12 defense if it can get another pass rusher opposite of Maxx Crosby. So, I’d be willing to go as high as a third-round pick.”
Lawson is in the midst of the final year of his contract with the Jets in 2023. Prior to the season he took a pay cut, “So he wouldn’t cost an acquiring team much money” per Rosenblatt.
There Are Some Raiders-Jets Dots That Could Be Connected
Dianna Russini of The Athletic said the Raiders are in “win-now mode” and there are “whispers” around the league that if Las Vegas doesn’t win games head coach Josh McDaniels “could be in trouble.”
Specifically, she shared that the Raiders are looking into the “pass rusher market after releasing Chandler Jones.”
On the surface, a day two pick (second or third round) for a veteran pass rusher on an expiring deal feels like a lofty price tag. However, when you combine desperation with a need you get an interesting recipe that could benefit the Jets in a major way ahead of the NFL trade deadline.
The Jets had high hopes for Lawson when they initially signed him to a three-year deal for $45 million to steal him away from the Cincinnati Bengals. It just hasn’t come together.
In his first season he tore his Achilles during a joint practice against the Green Bay Packers in the preseason. In his second season he was decent finishing with seven sacks. However, this season he hasn’t seemed to have the same level of explosiveness.
Now midway through the 2023 season, the Jets have a bevy of pass rushers that they like, and Lawson is viewed as a luxury item. He is a nice injury insurance policy to have just in case the Jets got hit on the defensive line.
However, Lawson and the Jets would probably benefit more with a change of scenery. The former Auburn product could get more playing time on another squad and the Jets could get an asset for the present or future.
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