FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas said it the day he walked in the door: A championship team is built from the inside out, meaning strong offensive and defensive lines.
Two months ago, he hired coach Robert Saleh, the former San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator who reached the Super Bowl after the 2019 season with a front four that was loaded with talent and former first-round picks.
Meld the two philosophies, and you can understand why two of the Jets’ biggest free-agent acquisitions have been defensive linemen, Carl Lawson and Sheldon Rankins.
The defensive line was supposed to be one of the Jets’ stronger position groups. (It’s all relative, of course. Does a 2-14 team really have any strengths?) Still, with Quinnen Williams at tackle, the line was thought to be in decent shape at the start of free agency, save for an edge rusher.
Douglas addressed that need on Day 1, signing Lawson to a three-year, $45 million contract — one of the richest in franchise history. He doubled down on Sunday, finalizing a two-year deal with Rankins that can be worth as much as $17 million. In fact, Saleh used Lawson as part of his sales pitch to Rankins, a 2016 first-round pick of the New Orleans Saints.
“When he called me and expressed his interest and how much he really wanted me to be a part of this, the vision he had for me and Quinnen inside and Carl out on the edge, it got me fired up,” Rankins said Monday in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio. “It made me want to be part of something special.”
Big changes are happening on defense. The Jets will be running a 4-3 base front for the first time since 2005, Herm Edwards’ final year as coach. They were a multifront defense the past two seasons under former coordinator Gregg Williams, but now it’s primarily a 4-3. Saleh is installing the defense he learned with the Seattle Seahawks and tweaked during his four-year run in San Francisco.
In 2019, Saleh’s second-ranked 49ers defense fed off the line, which included ends Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead and tackle DeForest Buckner. It also had nose tackle D.J. Jones, swing man Solomon Thomas and pass-rushing specialist Dee Ford.
Saleh is trying to use that blueprint to elevate the Jets, who allowed a franchise-high 457 points in 2020.
Lawson, only 25, was regarded as one of the better edge rushers in free agency. Rankins, who turns 27 on April 2, is a run-stuffer who can be surprisingly disruptive in the passing game. In 2018, he recorded a career-high eight sacks. Prior to that, he was known as the Chris Paul of the Saints’ defense. Teammates invoked the name of the former New Orleans point guard because Rankins was credited with “assists,” occupying blockers so his fellow linemates could make sacks.
Lawson and Rankins will join Williams, who had a breakout sophomore season with seven sacks. His best position is the 3-technique tackle, the same position that Rankins played in New Orleans. It’s a vital position in Saleh’s 4-3; Buckner played it brilliantly in 2019. The Jets probably will play Rankins at the 1-technique (shaded nose tackle), but he’s on the light side at 305 pounds.
Returning starter Folorunso Fatukasi (6-foot-4, 318) is a better fit from a size standpoint, but he might not have the upfield explosion required in a one-gap scheme. The one question about the Rankins signing is it raises a question about Fatukasi, whom the previous coaching staff regarded as an ascending player.
One thing is certain: The Jets’ interior depth is improved, and that’s important. In 2019, Saleh regularly used seven different linemen. The work isn’t done; New York still needs a starting-caliber defensive end to play opposite Lawson.
With Rankins, whose career has been sidetracked by a multitude of injuries, the key is staying healthy. He is convinced the injury woes are behind him and the Jets are the right place for a fresh start.
“For me, going into this whole process, I kind of had a few things that were going to be important to me,” Rankins said. “Scheme fit was going to be big, and opportunity and vision. I needed a team to see me as the player that I saw myself as, and I think I got that with the Jets.”