Third of a five-part series – the trio of Jets of note.
The Jets enter the 2020 season with many question marks about their list.
General manager Joe Douglas has begun to rebuild through the free agency and the April draft, but finding things that are certain on the Jets list are difficult. They will need several players to go beyond the expected production and be a pleasant surprise throughout the year.
Here are three Jets who are ready to become breakout players this season:
Breshad Perriman, wide receiver
It is strange to predict a breakout season for players who are aged 27 in September and were recruited in 2015, but Perriman’s career is very strange. The Ravens took him in the first round in 2015 and he struggled with injuries and problems off the pitch that hampered his development.
The Jets will become Perriman’s fourth team in four years. Douglas signed Perriman quickly after Robby Anderson left for the Panthers. The Jets believe Perriman showed his ability at the end of last season with the Buccaneers when he had 25 catches for 506 yards and five goals in his last five matches. Perriman gets more playing time because of an injury to the Bucs recipient.
Breshad Perriman, Folorunso Fatukasi and Kyle PhillipsAP; Bill Kostroun (2)
Perriman will not have to wait for injuries to get to the pitch this season. He will be their main recipient and often the target of Sam Darnold. If Perriman can produce as he did last season, he will be a thief for the Jets and the main cog for violations.
The escape of education began last year when he turned to the training camp. Entering August, there was a question whether he would enter the team, but at the end of the camp he had won over the coaches.
The sixth round of choice in 2018, Fatukasi has become a big part of Gregg Williams’s defense this season. He played behind Steve McLendon last year, but it would not be surprising to see him cutting McLendon’s time playing more in 2020. He is very strong. That was shown last year on several occasions when he pushed the offensive linemen into the back line. He blew up a game against the dolphins inside the 5-yard line by pushing the center to the ball carrier to lose.
The Jets will rely on their defense to return to being brave against runaways and get more pressure on the quarterback. There is a hole in the secondary section. It can be hidden to some extent if the front is strong. Education will play a big role in that.
Phillips is completely unknown entering last season. Phillips became a free agent not outside of Tennessee, being a solid filler for the Jets when injuries began hitting the outside linebackers and on the inside lines.
The strength of Phillips is its flexibility. He looked as comfortable standing outside as he did in the four-point position inside. He ended up with seven tackles for defeat, six quarterbacks and 1.5 sacks.
The Jets did very little to overcome the rush of their offseason pass beyond the re-signing of Jordan Jenkins and composing Jabari Zuniga. Phillips has to get more playing time than he did last year and he could be a very important factor for the Jets. At the end of this season, everyone might know who Phillips is.
