Buffalo Bills: Ranking the linebacker groups in the AFC East
By Rob Spehar
2) New York Jets
Projected Starters: Harvey Langi, C.J. Mosley, Avery Williamson, Jordan Jenkins
The New York Jets needed a complete overhaul on both sides of the ball. During the 2019 offseason, they made arguably the biggest splash in the free agency pool by signing one of the most coveted free agents. They ended up wooing C.J. Mosley from the Baltimore Ravens and signed him to a massive five-year, $85 million deal that included $51 million in guaranteed money.
His debut season with “Gang Green” was short lived having succumbed to the injury bug suffering a groin injury that ended his season early. He had surgery this past December and general manager Joe Douglas said that his recovery is “progressing well” and should be good to go for training camp. In the two games that Mosley suited up for the Jets, he tallied 9 tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown in the Jets home opener against the Buffalo Bills.
Along with the Mosley signing in 2019, the Jets also signed Avery Williamson from the Tennessee Titans. But his season ended before it started after tearing his ACL in a preseason game. Behind those top two, the Jets have Patrick Onwuasor who was signed as an unrestricted free agent from the Ravens.
Neville Hewitt and Jordan Jenkins will provide pass rush support on the outside. Hewitt should get increased playing time with the departure of Brandon Copeland. It is a fairly deep linebacking corps. But because of the injuries that were sustained to Mosley and Williamson, and the uncertainty of how they will bounce back after season ending injuries, the Jets sit second.