Getty Former New England Patriots defensive lineman Malcom Brown celebrating after a big play in an NFL game.
The New York Jets roster has come a long way over the last few years, but it still isn’t perfect.
With all of the roster cuts from the other NFL teams flowing in this week, it presents a unique opportunity to add some talent to the team.
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Time to Make a Move
This week the Jacksonville Jaguars released former New England Patriots first-round pick Malcom Brown.
He originally entered the league back in 2015 as the No. 32 overall pick out of Texas.
Longtime former NFL defensive lineman and current television analyst Leger Douzable took to Twitter to say that Brown would “significantly help the Jets run defense” in 2022.
Malcom Brown would significantly help the Jets run defense
There is a common misconception among Jets fans that they already have too many defensive linemen. While they have a lot of talented ones, the green and white lack depth on the interior.
Last year they had one of the worst run defenses in recent NFL memory. To fix it they let their best run stuffer go in Foley Fatukasi who signed a monster three-year $30 million deal to sign with Jacksonville.
They have sniffed around names this offseason like Larry Ogunjobi but for one reason or another, they never pulled the trigger. With the Jets having a high waiver wire claim (No. 4 overall from the 2022 NFL draft) they could swipe a proven guy to fill the void in the trenches.
This Is the One
Brown has played seven years in the NFL and he has been incredibly durable for a big man.
He has played in at least 13 games every year since 2015 including all 17 for the Jaguars last season.
The former Texas product brings size at 6-foot-2 and weighs over 320 pounds. In 2020 he had a great campaign against the run registering a 77.1 run defense grade from Pro Football Focus.
This would be an absolute no-brainer for the Jets on defense. Brown has the physical measurables, proven durability, a high draft pedigree, the analytics, and best of all you can stick it to the Patriots twice a year with their former top pick.
Imagine a defensive line that has Carl Lawson on one side, Brown and Quinnen Williams on the interior, with John Franklin-Myers on the other side.
Those are just the starters and then as the game progresses you could dip into the incredibly rich bench and rotation the Jets have at their disposal.
Head coach Robert Saleh has said recently at a press conference that he doesn’t like labels, but they need a proven run stuffer in this group. As much as I like Jonathan Marshall, he is a former sixth-round pick that hasn’t ever been relied upon to contribute significantly.
You can never get complacent when it comes to roster construction. The Jets’ defensive line is really good, but it could be even better. A Brown addition this late in the process could be the missing piece to a very special puzzle.
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