JETS FANTASY NEWS

March 4, 2006 1:00 PM ET

Expectations were high for Gang Green coming off a narrow playoff loss to the Steelers in 2004, but injuries—specifically at quarterback—and the free-fall to a 4-12 record claimed several casualties. Head coach Herm Edwards fled to Kansas City before he could be fired, and ex-Patriots defensive coordinator Eric Mangini signed on to right the ship.

It's probably going to get worse before it gets better, as the Jets are being forced to purge salaries to comply with the league's salary cap, but the cuts are also helping Mangini make his team younger. Better, however, may be another year or two away.

Needs
The Jets have plenty of positional vacancies, thanks to a round of cap cuts, and a 4-12 finish suggests there's a need to upgrade talent as well. Few positions are set, and those that are require depth or a younger talent to be groomed for the future.

Just about every decision the Jets will make this offseason will stem from what they decide to do with quarterback Chad Pennington, who locked into a hefty, long-term contract right before two seasons of shoulder problems. Options range from keeping Pennington at a reduced rate to cutting him and taking a monster cap hit this year, then drafting a quarterback with the fourth overall selection.

Either way, the Jets will also want some insurance at the position. They thought they were covered with Jay Fiedler last year, but he too went down with injury and things got ugly in a hurry. Fiedler was among the team's first cap casualties, so the Jets will have to cull the bottom of the free agent barrel for another veteran backup.

Consummate team player Curtis Martin reworked his contract to help the team get under the cap, but he's 32 and coming off his least-productive season as a professional. Unless Mangini believes Cedric Houston or Derrick Blaylock is the heir apparent, the team must address that need in the draft as well.

Barring the need to make Laveranues Coles a cap casualty, the Jets are in decent shape at wide receiver—at least for starters. Justin McCareins has underperformed since being wooed from the Titans, but he's still young enough to pan out. Wayne Chrebet will likely call it a career, leaving Jerricho Cotchery and Dante' Ridgeway as their only backups, so this is another position that could use some warm bodies.

Doug Jolley was hardly worth the first-round pick the Jets gave up for him last year, but if free agent Chris Baker departs he'll have very little competition. It remains to be seen what role the tight end will have in the Jets' offense under their new regime, but things certainly couldn't get any worse than Jolley's abysmal numbers from a year ago; he had just three games in which he caught more than two balls or covered more than 26 yards.

With Jason Fabini and Kevin Mawae already cap casualties and Pete Kendall possibly set to join them, the Jets will need to completely rebuild their offensive line. Since there won't be much cap money around, expect the Jets to lean heavily on a draft that's top-heavy with solid linemen.

Defensively, the departure of defensive end John Abraham—who has been franchised but will almost certainly be traded this offseason—creates a void that won't be helped if defensive tackle James Reed leaves via free agency as well. The defense received no help from the offense last year, so the numbers may be a bit misleading; their run defense isn't as bad as 136 yards per game might indicate, because the Jets' offense never put enough points up to take the other team's ground game out of the equation. Conversely, the pass defense isn't quite as good as the 172 yards per game it allowed, but there's certainly some talent there.

Essentially, Mangini is starting from scratch with only a handful of anchor players to build around. Jets fans will have to be patient, which is not always Gotham's strong suit.

Salary Cap Situation
The Jets were $11.1 million over the initial $92 million proposed salary cap as of March 1. Since that time, the cap number has risen to $94.5 million and the Jets have pared some veteran salaries; they continue to rework Pennington's deal in hopes of trimming his cap number as well.

Unrestricted Free Agents
QB Vinny Testaverde, TE Chris Baker, G Jonathan Goodwin, T Scott Gragg, DT James Reed, DE John Abraham (franchised), LB Kenyatta Wright

Restricted Free Agents
QB Kliff Kingsbury

Free Agent Signings
None.

The Draft
It's typical of the Jets' luck of late that there are three marquee players in the 2006 draft… and the Jets pick fourth. There's a possibility the Jets could get cute and swing a deal that brings Matt Leinart to the Big Apple, or they could settle for Jay Cutler if his stock hasn't carried him into the top three. If Pennington stays, however, the best bet for the Jets' first pick is mammoth offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson. Given their needs and his dominance at the Senior Bowl, it's a pick the draft denizens shouldn't have any problems with.

However, Mangini is a defensive guy, and with Abraham likely gone—and the next Julius Peppers on the board in the form of Mario Williams—it wouldn't be surprising for Gang Green to go that direction.

Of course, one pick isn't going to fill all of the Jets' holes. First-day picks could yield Martin's heir (running back Brian Calhoun, perhaps?), a quarterback to develop (Brodie Croyle, anyone?), or one of the many offensive linemen whose name will be called on day one. In short, just about every pick the Jets make will come to camp with the possibility of significant playing time, because the Jets' roster may be that gutted by cap casualties.

Injury Watch
Obviously, Pennington is the Jets' biggest injury concern. Never a fireballer to begin with, Chad's arm strength has been drained by rotator cuff problems, to the point that he may never break the speed limit on the JUGGS gun again. That's just one of the factors in play as the Jets try to decide what to do with their high-priced, banged-up quarterback. Martin, whose season ended early due to arthroscopic knee surgery, has a ton of mileage on his Hall of Fame resume but took the pay cut to come back and help with the transition. It's unclear, however, if he can be—or if the team wants him to be—the same workhorse back.

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