3 NFL teams that have the goods to go worst-to-first in their division

The New York Jets

I know the Bills are favorites by a mile, but the Jets deserve their flowers, and there is nobody from the NFC worthy of going worst-to-first. Truly, the New York Jets had the best offseason of any team in the league, and for that, they’ve got a chance to shock the world.

First and foremost, back to the boat race for the quarterback idea: One of the greatest flaws displayed by organizations, and it is seen somewhere every year, is that young quarterbacks rarely get the support they need in order to flourish. Zach Wilson got absolutely torched in the media last year and was labeled by talking heads as the next big bust, but the Jets clearly aren’t down with that. There will be no Josh Rosen storyline here as long as Wilson progresses this year, and the team did all it could in the offseason to help him do just that.

We’ll begin with the weapons. Corey Davis and Elijah Moore make a solid WR1/WR2 combination, but drafting Garrett Wilson polishes the receiving corps in a way that inserts it into top-tier consideration. Even more importantly, while Wilson was drafted for his big arm and he can certainly take advantage of those aforementioned wideouts, the Jets made two excellent veteran additions to the tight end room to help the young quarterback settle in by having bail-out options with intermediate routes. C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin bring a calm, polished and reliable veteran presence to the middle of the field. Both of these seasoned tight ends are projected to make a massive impact on Wilson’s development. Finally, the consensus RB1 in the 2022 NFL Draft is a New York Jet. Breece Hall’s versatile abilities will open up another bail-out option in the flat, and his balanced running style will even out the pace of the offense in a way unseen in 2021.

Next, let’s talk protection. The Jets feature a player at right tackle more suitable to play across town, because Mekhi Becton is a giant. If he is healthy this year, and George Fant can continue to be as consistent as he’s been of late at left tackle, Zack Wilson will be one of the most protected quarterbacks in football. That goes without even mentioning that both of the Jets’ starting guards, Alijah Vera-Tucker and Laken Tomlinson, are both former first-round selections, and center Connor McGovern was a third-round pick. The protection for Wilson, and the lanes that will be available for Hall, should create great upside potential for this offense.

Now, onto the defense. As much as the Jets did to improve the offense and offer Zach Wilson opportunity to grow in year two, they were still able to exhaust their resources in improving the defense. Carl Lawson (Cincinnati), Jordan Whitehead (Tampa Bay), DJ Reed (Seattle), and Solomon Thomas (Las Vegas) were all signed during free agency; two first-round draft picks were used on Jermaine Johnson and Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner; and guys like Quinnen Williams are still on rookie deals saving the team some money. The Jets were the only team in the league to allow 500 or more points to be scored by opponents last season, so needless to say, any personnel additions would have helped. This free agency and draft class, however, creates potential for the Jets D to become respectful, not just better.

It may take a miracle or two for the Jets to go from last place in the AFC East to winning the division in 2022, but not team in football gave the same level of effort to improving upon their situation, so they have definitely got a chance.