Jets Top 20: No. 9 Jordan Jenkins

The 2020 Jets hope to kick off the new decade by snapping a nine-year playoff drought.

There was plenty of roster turnover this offseason, but the question remains: Does new necessarily mean better?

Tom Brady’s departure ostensibly gives hope to the rest of the AFC East, but will the Jets be the team to knock the Patriots off their perch as division rulers?

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.

This list is made up of the players who I believe will have the greatest impact for Adam Gase’s team this season. The ranking isn’t simply based on a player’s resume. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

So, we’re peering into our crystal ball and taking some leaps of faith. There’s some quality young talent on Gang Green’s roster. Some of those guys are poised to take their games to the next level.

Get ready for some surprises.

No. 9: JORDAN JENKINS

2019 ranking: 17 Position: Outside linebacker

Age at the start of the season: 26

2020 salary cap charge: $3.94 million

Contract status: Signed a 1-year, $3.75 million deal in the offseason

2019 Season in Review: Jenkins quietly led Gregg Williams’ defense with eight sacks. The no-frills outside linebacker has improved his sack total in each of his first four seasons. His 15 sacks in the past two seasons have somehow flown under the radar.

Although Jenkins ranked in the bottom quarter in passrush productivity last season (32 pressures on 318 passrush snaps), according to jetsxfactor.com, there’s little doubt he’s shown an ability to improve his overall game every year. Jenkins has been a sound tackler since entering the league in 2016. He ranked 15th out of 61 qualified edge defenders with a 12% missed tackle rate last year.

Jenkins missed a pair of games with a calf injury.

“He’s a really good player,” said outside linebackers coach Joe Vitt. “He’s a great teammate. He takes the game seriously. His preparation is impeccable.”

2020 Outlook: There was a thought that Jenkins would cash in elsewhere via free agency, but he eschewed a few other suitors to return to the Jets on a one-year deal after dominoes around the league didn’t fall.

The Jets still lack a dominant edge rusher, so it’ll be incumbent upon Williams to devise creative pressure packages again. Jenkins, a team leader and galvanizing presence in the locker room, has not been bashful about praising his defensive coordinator’s ability to put him in optimal positions to succeed. Jenkins will be plenty motivated before hitting the open market again after the season.

Next on the Countdown: A new face in a new place with a big responsibility.

COUNTDOWN REWIND:

No. 20: P Braden Mann No. 19: DL Foley Fatukasi No. 18: WR Denzel Mims No. 17: DL Kyle Phillips No. 16: DL Steve McLendon

No. 15: Anderson

No. 14: CB Pierre Desir No. 13: CB Brian Poole No. 12: WR Breshad Perriman

No. 11: McGovern

No. 10: S Marcus Maye

DL

C

Henry

Connor