Run-stuffing defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi moved into a full-time starting role last season and is now expected to generate considerable interest as a free agent. The four-year veteran started 15 games, after combining for eight starts in his first three seasons, and the Jets are prepared for the former sixth-round pick to move out of their price range when free agency opens next week, Tony Pauline of ProFootballNetwork.com notes. Although the Jets have deployed below-average defenses during Fatukasi’s two seasons as a full- or part-time starter, the UConn product has played well. Having turned 27 last week, Fatukasi should have prime years remaining. The Jets have Quinnen Williams under contract through 2023 and must make a decision on Sheldon Rankins, who will see $1.25MM of his $4.5MM base salary become guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2022 league year (March 20).
Here is the latest out of New York:
- Fewer than 20 teams in the common draft era (1967-present) have made two top-10 picks in a draft. The Jets have the opportunity, holding the Nos. 4 and 10 selections this year. They might face a major decision at No. 4. The Jets are high on Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton, but no team has chosen a safety in the top four since the Browns took Eric Turner fourth overall in 1991. Positional value would likely lean Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh to take Kayvon Thibodeaux over Hamilton at 4, in the event Aidan Hutchinson and tackles Ikem Ekwonu and Evan Neal are off the board, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com notes. Thibodeaux’s stock has taken somewhat of a hit, but the Oregon edge rusher still figures to be an early pick.
- The Jets are picking up Quinnen Williams‘ fifth-year option, keeping the 2019 No. 3 overall pick under contract through 2023. A 2022 extension for the D-tackle starter does not sound especially likely, with Cimini noting the Jets are not in a hurry to hammer out a long-term deal. This is unsurprising, considering teams rarely extend first-round non-quarterbacks with two years of control remaining on their rookie contracts.
- Quinnen’s older brother, Quincy Williams, will play for more money in 2022. Under the NFL’s player-performance escalator provision, the young linebacker will see his 2022 salary spike from $965K to $2.54MM, Cimini tweets. Acquired from the Jaguars last year, Quincy Williams earned sufficient playing time to qualify for the bump. The Murray State product started 13 games alongside his brother and enjoyed by far his most productive season yet, recording 110 tackles and two sacks in his first Jets season. His rookie deal runs through 2022.
Quincy may have had his most productive season, but that’d only because they didn’t have enough good options to keep him off the field.
The Hamilton positional value stuff is overblown. It’s not like he’s a Landon Collins type.
Safety is just a position that isn’t necessary to have a great team. If you have an elite one, you’re more than happy. But between the 2 SB teams; the best one was Jessie Bates and…then Eric Weddle who was almost 40. I don’t think that precludes him from being taken at 4 but if the choice is potential elite pass rusher or potential elite safety; the pass rusher gets picked every time.
So one of the teams in the super bowl has an elite safety and one had to replace their best safety, who got injured in the last game of the regular season–not to mention the fact that they play Ramsey essentially as a safety some of the time. KC also leans heavily on their best safety. Buffalo’s defense is heavily reliant on having two good safeties, as is Green Bay’s. Arizona’s defense is heavily reliant on Baker. And the Jets’ defense is especially lacking in the back seven. If Thibodeaux is there, it’d be really hard to pass him up, but I reject the idea that Hamilton is a reach at four just because he’s a safety.
Okay let’s not make up things to prove a point when Ramsey is manned up on every teams beat WR. It’s not a disputable thing. It’s why he’s typically rated as the best corner.
But you’re proving my point. None of those teams you named made it out of the divisional round except KC. They all had good safeties and weren’t in contention. Byard is the best safety in the league and it didn’t help Tennessee. You do not need great safeties to win. You need a great QB. You need great pass rushers. You need WRs. Having a great safety is nice, it just isn’t a necessity.
One of those teams did make it out of the divisional round other than KC. Cincinnati’s best defensive player is a safety. Of course having a truly great safety isn’t necessary. There aren’t that many of them. But if one is available, that’s a great help to winning.
Jesus Christ you’re super bent about trying to value something that is not valuable. You named 4 other teams, gomer. One of them made it out of the divisional round. What’s more, one of the teams who had two all-pro safeties didn’t make it out of the divisional round. You can just say you personally value a position they nfl teams do not. That’s not a hard thing to do. But repeatedly saying it’s a super valuable position in comparison when literally any scout will say otherwise is just being ignorant.
Gomer? You’re contradicting yourself and then lashing out. If Hamilton is like Derwin but healthy, he’s worth a top ten pick in a draft weak on elite talent.
Teams like the Jets probably shouldn’t take risks with their high picks.
He might be the best player in the draft. Is he inherently riskier just because he’s a safety? You could make just as significant arguments of risk for anybody but maybe Hutchinson.
New York’s AFC team has ties to a story ESPN published on Monday: Jets owner Woody Johnson is looking into acquiring British soccer club Chelsea, who have been put up for sale by their Russian oligarch owner. The BBC and the Daily Mail have mentioned the ESPN story while New York sports sites have not.