Mehta’s Top 20 Jets Countdown: Mosley
The 2019 Jets have new uniforms, new coaches and a new general manager, but one familiar question remains after an unexpected shakeup after the draft: Are these the ‘Same Old Jets’?
Mike Maccagnan added some quality pieces before getting fired in May, but has this star-crossed franchise done enough to break an eight-year playoff drought?
I’ll be revealing my Top 20 players on the roster every weekday for the next four weeks in the run-up to training camp.
The list is made up of the players who I think will make the most impact for Adam Gase’s team this season. We’re not ranking guys solely based on past accomplishments. Get ready for some surprises with our projections.
No. 2: C.J. Mosley
2018 ranking: N/A Position: LB
Age at the start of the season: 27
2019 salary cap charge: $13 million
Contract status: First year of a five-year, $85 million deal (including $51 million in total guarantees)
2018 Season in Review: Mosley, the glue of the Ravens’ topranked defense, made his fourth Pro Bowl after another 100- plus tackle season. He finished tied for eighth among linebackers with 13 quarterback hurries, according to Pro Football Focus.
Mosley had six tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, five passes defensed and an interception in Wink Martindale’s defense. He racked up more than 100 tackles in four of five seasons and logged more than 875 snaps in each year in Baltimore.
Mosley’s value went beyond numbers. He proved to be a dependable presence in the middle in the post Ray Lewis Era. The Ravens made a serious play to re-sign him before the Jets went over the top with a boatload of loot that he couldn’t refuse.
2019 Outlook:
How much did the Jets covet Mosley? Well, they made him the highest paid inside linebacker in NFL history. Mosley’s deal crushed Panthers’ All-Pro Luke Kuechly’s deal that averaged $14 million/year. Giving an offball linebacker $17 million per year is a hefty price indeed, but the bidding for his services in free agency escalated … and Gang Green didn’t want to rely on Darron Lee again.
Adam Gase admitted that he was “shocked” that Mosley actually became available. “We were thinking ‘There’s no way he’s going to get out of there,’” Gase said. “Then when he hit the market, it was a full-court press for us.”
Mosley is a tackling machine that has missed fewer than 10 tackles in each of the past two seasons. More than that, he’ll provide invaluable stability and leadership for a team trying to be relevant again.
“We just felt like he was culture-changer,” Gase said. “He was the type of guy that could help really kind of lead that charge in the locker room, where the team building starts the right way. He’s been part of an organization that all of us would say has done things the right way for a long period of time. That culture stayed the same (after Ray Lewis retired), and C.J. was a big reason for that.”
Mosley and Avery Williamson will provide a solid duo for Gregg Williams. Although Mosley isn’t going to be a stalwart in coverage, the Jets are banking that his other attributes will make him a smart investment.
“He’s a really good leader,” Williams said. “He leads by example first. All the great leaders that I’ve been a part of have to show a great example before you open your mouth. So, he’s always doing that.…. He’s not a highly vocal guy, but he sets the example by how he goes about doing his job. He understands the routine of being a real pro. He’s excited about the flexibility of… being even more of a quarterback of the defense and having the checks and audible systems that we teach. It’ll be fun.”
Next on the countdown: The undisputed king of the hill. Countdown Rewind:
No. 20 — C Jonotthan Harrison
No. 19 — LB Jachai Polite No. 18 — WR Quincy Enunwa
No. 17 — LB Jordan Jenkins No. 16 — RT Brandon Shell No. 15 — LB Avery Williamson
No. 14 — CB Trumaine Johnson
No. 13 — LT Kelvin Beachum No. 12 — S Marcus Maye No. 11 — WR Jamison Crowder
No. 10 — WR Robby Anderson
No. 9 — DL Henry Anderson No. 8 — LG Kelechi Osemele No. 7 — TE Chris Herndon No. 6 — DL Quinnen Williams
No. 5 — DL Leonard Williams
No. 4 — RB Le’Veon Bell No. 3 — QB Sam Darnold