It’s amazing what a couple of good drafts and a future hall of fame quarterback can do to the outlook of a team’s future.

Jets General Manager Joe Douglas has done a great job in the last few seasons being aggressive while not over-extending. He identified players that have certain characteristics and abilities and set a budget to bring those players into the fold. He isn’t following a formula and isn’t going to make any deal that he doesn’t believe is the best deal he can get.

Remember when the national media laughed at the prospect of getting a first-round pick for a box safety in Jamal Addams? Joe went ahead and got two firsts. Remember when the national media said you couldn’t get anything for Sam Darnold? Joe went ahead and got multiple picks including a 2^nd rounder.

The national media has finally begun to take notice of the pieces Joe Douglas put in place for the New York Jets and what it could mean for the success of this team in 2023 and beyond.

ESPN ranked NFL roster cores, essentially taking the top 5 players on each team and then ranking them. The Jets came in at number eight overall. The players ESPN chose as their “core roster” were Aaron Rodgers, Sauce Gardner, Quinnen Williams and Alijah Vera-Tucker. Hard to argue with their choices.

Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus ranked every teams roster from top to bottom and the Jets came in at number seven. PFF marked the Jets pass rush as the “biggest strength” of the team while had offensive line marked as “biggest weakness” stating “they were denied a first-round tackle in the draft and are now left with a group consisting of the oft-injured Mekhi Becton, 40-year-old Duane Brown, 2022 fourth-rounder Max Mitchell and, possibly, Vera-Tucker. They also need a bounce-back season from left guard Laken Tomlinson, who earned just a 56.8 overall grade last season.”

The Jets offensive line isn’t their biggest weakness as much as their biggest question mark going into the 2023 season. Tomlinson is a former pro bowler who had a bad year. Could he bounce back? Sure. Brown tried to come in late and play thru a shoulder injury all season. Could he bounce back? Sure. Who knows on Becton. Tippmann is going to be a beast at center when he eventually takes the spot and Vera-Tucker is back from injury.

All these outcomes could swing the Jets way, or it could be a big weakness for the team.

As far as the teams ahead of the Jets on both lists, they are relatively fair. Both lists have the Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys ranked ahead of the Jets. ESPN has the Los Angeles Chargers and Miami Dolphins ahead of New York while PFF has the San Francisco 49ers ranked higher.

There really shouldn’t be much argument on Eagles, Bengals, Chiefs or Bills. The Cowboys one is a bit of a head scratcher. They have arguably the best defensive player in the league and some nice pieces on both sides of the ball but outside of Zack Martin, their offensive line isn’t what it once was, and Dak Prescott has been okay at best.

The Chargers are the team we are told every year is a Super Bowl contender and every year they disappoint for one reason or another. Sure, they are talented, but not ahead of the Jets. Joey Bosa and Rashawn Slater are incredible but Keenan Allen and Derwin James are talented players who can’t stay on the field.

Miami is one of the most talented teams on the outside without question. Their wide receivers and corners are arguably the best in the league, but their offensive line is a big question mark even without the injuries the Jets dealt with in 2022 and QB Tua Tagovailoa causes the entire team to hold its breath every time he is hit.

The Jets have gained national media attention as being a top 10 roster. Whether or not they can transform that talent into victories on the field remains to be seen. But the days of being a “scrappy bunch” eeking out wins are over. It’s a roster built to win with talent. Time to prove it.

Featured Image via Tom Horak-USA TODAY Sports