The New York Jets’ head coach, Robert Saleh, is heading into his second year with a team that needed a lot of help to be competitive. The defensive specialist is putting together a formidable defense.
Buy
Quincy Williams, Linebacker
The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Quincy Williams out of Murray State in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft. He is the older brother of New York Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams. When the older Williams was released by the Jaguars after the 2021 pre-season, it made perfect sense for the Jets to claim him as he fits a need.
Quincy Williams played in 18 games while starting eight during his two year career with the Jaguars. He combined for 59 tackles (35 solos), 3 tackles for a loss, 1 pass defended, and 1 forced fumble. This was not the type of stats the Jaguars were expecting from Williams. They decided to release him after the 2021 pre-season, and the Jets picked him up on waivers.
The Jets also signed former first-round pick Jarrad Davis as a free agent. Davis then hurt his ankle in the second preseason game and went on injured reserve. This opened the door for Williams to show that he belonged. He took advantage of his opportunity and, after being inactive during Week 1, earned the starting SAM linebacker spot for Week 2.
Williams…SAM?
In Williams’ first four games, he played 92% of the defensive snaps or more. In the snaps, he combined for 31 tackles (24 solos), 5 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, and 1 pass defended. Williams suffered a concussion in Week 7 and only played 23 defensive snaps.
Jarrad Davis then returned from injured reserve for the week eight contest and started the next three games. He did not live up to expectations during those three games. Davis combined for just seven tackles (four solos) on about 70% of the defensive snaps.
Williams…SAM!
With his second opportunity, Williams delivered 15 tackles in his first game back in the starting lineup. This was the most by a Jets defender since 2009, when David Harris had 17 tackles. In his final eight games, Williams produced a combined 71 tackles (43 solos), 4 tackles for a loss, and 2 passes defended as an every down player.
His IDP Guys ADP is sitting at LB30 and is not even in the top 100 of the overall IDP rankings. Williams will not cost you very much this off-season and will deliver top 20 results. That makes him a very inexpensive every-week starter. Buy him now.
Sell
C.J. Mosley, Linebacker
The Baltimore Ravens drafted C.J. Mosley out of Alabama in the first round of the 2014 draft. He was immediately awarded the starting MIKE linebacker position and earned second in the AP defensive rookie of the year behind only Aaron Donald.
Mosley played five years with the Ravens and only missed three games total. He combined for an incredible 579 tackles (387 solos), 43 tackles for a loss, 8.5 sacks, 35 passes defended, 9 interceptions, 6 forced fumbles, 6 fumble recoveries, and 2 TDs.
Mosley’s first five years with the Ravens landed him a huge five-year contract with the Jets worth $85 million. In his first game as a Jet, he suffered a grade two inguinal groin strain and missed the next four games.
Mosley returned in Week 7, only to reaggravate the groin injury again and miss the rest of the season. After playing in just parts of two games with the Jets in 2019, Mosley decided to sit out in 2020 due to the Covid Pandemic.
Rebound abounds in 2021
2021 finally brought the type of year for Mosley that the Jets were expecting when they first signed him 3 years earlier. He only missed 1 game and produced a fantastic 168 tackles (103 solos), 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 2 passes defended, and 2 forced fumbles.
At 30 years old, and delivering a career year, now is the time to sell him. With an IDP Guys ADP of LB12 and an overall dynasty ranking of 17th, Mosley has very real value. He may produce again this year, but sell him now and reap the rewards of setting up your team for success beyond this year. Use his 2021 year to your advantage. Sell him today and smile all the way to the bank.
Thank you for checking out the latest Buy/Sell/Keep article! You can read all of my articles on my IDP Guys author page. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @OldMan_FF and @IDPGuys (we have offense, too), and please check out our website at idpguys.org.
