Adrian Clayborn rumors: 5 best fits in NFL free agency
By John Buhler
It’s not just the Cleveland Browns that are expected to be big spenders this offseason. Just look no further than the team with the second most available cap space in the New York Jets. New York will have a whopping $84,721,136 to work with this spring. One would think that would be plenty of green to entire Washington Redskins free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins to join up with Gang Green.
With Cousins, New York will be viable at quarterback for the first time since Chad Pennington was in his prime. Cousins will throw for roughly 4,300 yards and complete 65 percent of his passes. So expect the Jets to be able to move the sticks and play with a lead in many games with Cousins under center. So why would a guy like Adrian Clayborn make sense for the Jets?
Well, they could get better at rushing the quarterback. Keep in mind that Sheldon Richardson is gone and Muhammad Wilkerson hasn’t been as good since getting paid. It’s really Leonard Williams and not much else up front for Gang Green. Clayborn would bring a winning sense of professionalism to the New York defense. Defensive-minded head coach Todd Bowles would certainly love to land a guy like Clayborn to help get after the quarterback.
New York only had 28 quarterback sacks last year. That was 28th in football. While New York played from behind a lot in 2017, who is to say that the Jets can’t turn it around with the right few offseason acquisitions this spring? Clayborn could go a long way in helping the Jets finally get out of their own way.