Former NFL player and scout Bucky Brooks knows the ins and outs of this league, providing keen insight in his notebook. Today's installment covers:
But first, a look why the newest Jets quarterback might finally be the long-term answer at the position for Gang Green ...
Four years after Justin Fields was selected with a first-round draft pick, we're finally going to have a chance to see him realize his potential as a superstar -- by potentially upgrading a Jets offense that was stuck in the mud last season with a four-time NFL MVP at quarterback.
I'm not suggesting Fields -- who's joining the Jets on a two-year, $40 million deal (with $30 million in guarantees) to help usher in the Aaron Glenn era -- will ever top Aaron Rodgers' accomplishments as a player. But the 6-foot-3, 227-pounder could serve as an explosive offensive weapon for New York, with the talent and playmaking ability to supercharge an attack featuring budding stars Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson. With a creative new coordinator poised to take the offense to another level after tapping into the notes compiled throughout his time with the Detroit Lions, the Jets could emerge as a heavyweight -- and Fields could be leading the charge.
Now, I know the offseason routinely produces a "hype bunny" who commands attention as a marquee free-agent signee. But the optimism surrounding Fields goes deeper than that, rooted in a perfect marriage between quarterback, head coach and team.
Glenn, the former Lions defensive coordinator, certainly knows what Fields is capable of after being terrorized by the ex-Bears QB back in the NFC North. In four matchups against Glenn and Detroit between 2022 and 2023, Fields posted three 100-yard rushing games for Chicago, recording a 5:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio as a passer. As an explosive dual-threat with MLB arm talent and Pro Bowl-caliber running skills, Fields scares the bejesus out of defensive coordinators tasked with defending an elite athlete at quarterback.
Last season, Fields was traded to Pittsburgh, where he was putting together a solid bounce-back campaign -- until a surprise benching in favor of Russell Wilson put a damper on things. Before then, Fields flashed enough in limited action to suggest he could thrive in a managerial role in New York. As the point guard of a conservative Steelers offense that relied upon the run game and a hard-hitting defense to win, Fields posted a 4-2 record with career-best marks in completion percentage (65.8%), passer rating (93.3) and interception percentage (0.6%). His ability to play winning football as an athletic game manager meshes with how the Jets seemingly want to operate under Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand, who worked on the Lions' staff with Glenn.
To get a sense of Engstrand's offensive philosophy, consider how he talked about the Lions last June, when he was still working for Detroit:
"We talk about being a physical, detailed football team," Engstrand said. "The feet are cemented in that now. It's not something that was foreign to me when I got here, but if there was ever something to get cemented in -- that's it, that's really what I believe in. Something I would also say is explosiveness -- the explosive plays and the importance of it. We're chasing that every week and I think that's something that is at the forefront of our minds as we as we're trying to game plan and win these games is how we can do that as well."
If Engstrand follows the script that helped the Lions rank first in scoring and second in yards last season, he should build around an electric runner and dazzling pass catcher on the perimeter. Hall, a fourth-year pro out of Iowa State, has teased the football world with his unique playmaking talents out of the backfield. Despite being limited at times by injury issues, including a torn ACL that cost him much of his rookie season, he has totaled 3,625 scrimmage yards and 22 scores on 664 touches, displaying impressive balance, body control and vision with the ball in his hands. In addition, he has shown the soft hands and polished route-running skills to be an explosive weapon on option routes and isolation plays in the passing game.
With Fields installed as the Jets' quarterback, Hall could see his big-play numbers surge with opponents forced to defend more RPOs (read-option plays), designed quarterback runs and traditional runs with complementary bootleg action. The threat of Fields scooting around the corner should force multiple backside defenders to pause, with fewer defenders pursuing Hall as a result.
The Fields-Hall combination should also create a more efficient and effective passing game. With defenders forced to honor the Jets' running game, the complementary play-action passes should produce more "splash" plays at intermediate range. As Engstrand fills up the call sheet with various deep crossers and isolation routes (comebacks, post-corners and stutter-go routes) off run-action fakes, the creative play-designer can create a quarterback-friendly passing game that enables Fields to make half-field reads that are easier to diagnose from the pocket. In addition, the Jets' reliance on the running game should loosen the coverage of opposing defenses, creating a game of "pitch-and-catch" between the QB1 and his wideouts.
Wilson's presence as the Jets' WR1 should also help Fields thrive as a passer in New York. The former Buckeyes showed strong chemistry showed together at Ohio State; in the two seasons he played with Fields, Wilson racked up 73 receptions for 1,155 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. As a pro, Wilson has posted three straight 1,000-yard seasons, including a spectacular 2022 campaign (83 catches, 1,103 receiving yards and four scores) that resulted in him winning the 2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year award. If he and Fields can reestablish continuity from their college days, Wilson should blow past those numbers as the designated No. 1 option in the Jets' passing game.
The Jets will need to tweak and retool the offensive line to ensure Fields has the protection to shine as a passer and room to run as a playmaker. And it remains to be seen how passing game coordinator Scott Turner -- who has coached just one QB to a 100-rushing yard season (Taylor Heinicke, who posted 313 with Washington in 2021) in five seasons as an offensive coordinator or passing game coordinator -- will fit into the mix. But ultimately, installing an explosive athlete at QB1 should help the Jets close the gap on their AFC East rivals. If the team can master the approach to complementary football proposed by their head coach, Fields and Co. could become household names by the end of 2025.
Five perfect free agent marriages
Finding free agents who perfectly mesh with a new scheme and environment is one of the biggest challenges for team-builders. Without fully understanding what's truly behind a player's success with his previous team, evaluators are forced to throw darts at the free-agent board in hopes of landing the right player for their respective squads.
After taking some time to survey the NFL landscape after the ink has dried on a host of new contracts in the opening wave of free agency, here are my five perfect free agent marriages:
CONTRACT: Three years, $51 million, with a max value of $60 million.
Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has terrorized opponents with a smoke-and-mirrors scheme that befuddles quarterbacks and blockers with relentless pressure. Though the mad scientist has successfully harassed foes without an established interior pass rusher to this point, the addition of Allen gives the Vikings a destructive force at the point of attack with superb run-stopping skills and a pass-rushing presence. The two-time Pro Bowler, who missed nine regular-season games last season due to a pectoral injury but returned for the team's playoff run, has generated 42 sacks over eight seasons with Washington. With veterans Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel commanding attention on the outside, the ninth-year pro should see his sack production spike in Minneapolis.
CONTRACT: Two-years, $23 million, with $16.5 million guaranteed at signing.
The ultra-productive pass catcher is the hybrid tight end Sean Payton has sought since he arrived in Denver in 2023. As a crafty route runner with the speed and quickness to win on vertical or horizontal routes against linebackers and safeties, Engram should divert attention away from Courtland Sutton as a playmaker between the hashes. He is coming off an injury-shortened campaign but nearly eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in his last fully healthy season, in 2023. If Engram quickly develops chemistry with second-year quarterback Bo Nix as a reliable chain-mover, the two-time Pro Bowler could post gaudy numbers in a quarterback-friendly system that relies on tight end production.
CONTRACT: One year, $14 million, with $12 million guaranteed.
After posting four consecutive 11-plus-sack seasons from 2020 to 2023, the speed-rushing demon should re-emerge as a premier playmaker in Tampa. Todd Bowles’ aggressive scheme should create more one-on-one opportunities for the ninth-year pro to win utilizing his superior speed, quickness and athleticism to overwhelm blockers on the edge. With an entire offseason to knock off any rust remaining from an extended holdout in 2024 (he recorded just one sack and three QB hits in 10 games with the Jets after returning to the field), the former Pro Bowler could be the X-factor that helps the Buccaneers make a deep playoff run this season.
CONTRACT: One year, $5 million, with a max value of $6 million.
The Ravens finally secured a WR3 with the tools to flourish as a complementary weapon on the perimeter. As a sticky-fingered playmaker with a knack for winning 50/50 balls down the boundary, Hopkins gives Lamar Jackson a reliable pass catcher to target when opponents load the box to stop Derrick Henry and lean the safety in Zay Flowers’ direction to limit big plays. Despite coming off a down year in which, at the age of 33, he lost some speed and quickness, the perennial Pro Bowler is a ball magnet with the size and leaping ability to expand the strike zone for the two-time MVP.
CONTRACT: Three years, $30 million deal, with $20 million fully guaranteed and $12.5 million in Year 1.
By adding the top nickel corner on the market, the Jaguars solved a pressing need on a defense littered with holes. Lewis adds instincts, awareness and playmaking skills to a defensive backfield that was routinely torched in 2024. Some question the magnitude of the deal signed by the veteran, but adding a high-end player as their 12th defensive starter is well worth the cost for the Jaguars.
