5 players who New York Jets need to be great in 2019

1. Le’Veon Bell

When looking at the defensive side of the ball, the Jets have the talent. With the likes of Leonard and Quinnen Williams, Johnson, Adams, Mosley and more, they just need individuals to play to their capabilities in order to turn things around on that side.

Offensively, it’s a much different story. Maccagnan didn’t add weapons around his rookie signal caller last season and it showed. Darnold, as a testament to his abilities, made do with what he had and still performed well with 2,865 passing yards, 17 touchdown tosses and 15 interceptions in 13 games.

Quincy Enunwa emerged as one of Darnold’s favorite targets, and fellow rookie Chris Herndon linked up well with him too, but other than those two there wasn’t much else to work with.

Maccagnan, in response, signed the most premier offensive player on the market this offseason by bringing aboard Le’Veon Bell. Bell, after sitting out last season, signed a four-year, $52.5-million deal.

Now, Bell will be asked to do a lot. Not only will he be a workhorse out of the backfield, he will also be used as a pass catcher quite a bit. His presence alone will keep defenses honest.

Bell will open things up for the Jets and allow Darnold to do more and utilize Robby Anderson, Enunwa and company.

It’s imperative that Bell play to the elite level he did while a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s fair to think that the offense will go as he goes. Darnold is still only a second-year player, and the offense is rather pedestrian without Bell.