New York Jets

New York Jets: Final Grades for the 2016 Season

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:51 p.m. ET

Fansided, Alan Schechter/FanSided via NFL Spin Zone

The final grades are in for what was a forgettable year for the New York Jets.

It was not the best year for Mike Maccagnan, Todd Bowles and the rest of the New York Jets. Frankly, it was pretty forgettable. After shocking the league with ten wins in 2015, it all fell apart in 2016. Players came back to Earth, there were problems in the locker room, players got hurt, and it all unraveled. The end result was a 5-11 record and a season that goes down as one of the worst in franchise history.

Remember when Rex Ryan would bury the game ball from a bad game? The Jets should bury 16 of them. Well, at least 11.

Still, there is work to be done as we look back at the year gone by. The teacher has graded all of the final exams and the report card grades are out. Let’s see how everybody did.

Quarterbacks: F

Everything that went right for Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2015 went wrong in 2016. He lost Eric Decker early in the season which made things difficult. He was not helped by 30 dropped passes which led the NFL. But none of that excuses the poor decision-making all season long, especially in the red zone. Throwing 12 touchdowns versus 17 interceptions is never acceptable, and proved that the “Fitzmagic” is gone. He was benched and it was deserved.

Bryce Petty showed some promise when he took over the job. His connection with Robby Anderson has potential to be special in the future. But he to has to get better as he threw three touchdown passes versus seven interceptions. Much of that is from inexperience, making the first starts of his career in 2016. Reps will help his development as much as anything else.

You know who actually was looking the best of the group? Geno Smith. In the one game he got into, he went 8-of-14 for 126 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He wasn’t perfect but there were improvements. Unfortunately he was lost to injury and the Jets returned to Fitzpatrick.

If ever a group had a year to forget, it was the quarterbacks of Gang Green.

Running Backs: B-

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If any group on the Jets was a saving grace, it was the running backs. Signed after a long career with the Bears, Matt Forte logged a solid season, leading the way with 813 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. He also added 30 receptions for 263 yards and a touchdown. The problem was a common one for running backs over 30. He got hurt and missed time.

That leads into the point that the coaching staff didn’t use Bilal Powell nearly enough. They didn’t mix him in early, and he proved that to be unwise late in the year. Even though he ran the ball only 131 times, he finished fewer than 100 rushing yards behind Forte with 722 to go with a whopping 5.5 yards per carry average. Jets fans already know how good Powell is as a receiver, as he posted 58 receptions for 388 yards and two touchdowns.

When Powell took over as the starter for the last four games, he averaged 102.75 yards per game on the ground, including two performances of over 100 yards. He definitely needs to be involved more as the team moves forward.

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends: D

The Jets offense started out strong. After a one point loss to the Bengals, they were hitting on all cylinders in week 2. New York put up 37 points in a six point victory over the Buffalo Bills and all seemed to be humming along like 2015. They were averaging over 29 points in the early going, and all was right.

Then Eric Decker was lost for the season due to injury, and it all fell apart. Other than Quincy Enunwa, they all forgot how to catch the football. Fitzpatrick was bad, but the decline in numbers was “helped” by the league-leading number of drops (30). Brandon Marshall dropped to 59 receptions, in part because he saw more coverage without Decker, but also in part because he had several key drops.

We aren’t going to mention tight ends because the team simply didn’t use one prominently.

Enunwa was a bright spot among the incumbent wide receiver, quickly becoming a trusted target of Fitzpatrick. He was second to Marshall with 58 catches and became especially reliable on long down and distances. On plays where the Jets had more than ten yards to gain, Enunwa caught 35 passes and 20 converted first downs. Robby Anderson was up and down, but still managed 42 receptions good for third on the team.

Offensive Line: C-

It’s always a difficult scene when a legendary player for a franchise starts to break down. That is exactly what happened during the 2016 season with fan-favorite Nick Mangold. Missing only three games over his first ten years, he missed eight in 2016 due to injury, and it’s questionable whether or not he will be back with the team in 2017. The Jets may be looking for the heir apparent this off-season.

As far as the play, it was mixed. The team did average over four yards per carry on the ground, but they were behind so often it didn’t amount to big numbers. Fitzpatrick was sacked 19 times and they gave up 35 sacks overall. Again, a middle of the road figure. Football Outsiders ranked the Jets line 12th in run blocking and 20th in pass protection.

They were okay, but there was never really a point where the offensive line took over. They had flashes, some bad moments, but never took over a game and dominated. The play was just adequate, so the grade sits in the middle.

Defensive Line: D

It was supposed to be the best defensive front in football. By the end of the season many were asking where they were. This group came nowhere near meeting expectations. It wasn’t even close.

Muhammad Wilkerson got his contract and forgot to show up, posting 4.5 sacks this seasons after notching 12 in his contract year. The only thing that was absent from Jets telecasts more often than, “And the Jets win” was “Muhammad Wilkerson with the stop.” He was non-existent. Sheldon Richardson had flashes, at times, but became more known for his words to the media and on Snap Chat than his play on the field.

Steve McLendon had a decent season with 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble, but he is no Damon Harrison. Most Jets fans shed a tear when Harrison was named first team All-Pro. They missed him in the middle of that line.

The bright spot was Leonard Williams. The second-year lineman got to the quarterback seven times to lead the team. Williams is headed to the Pro Bowl and for good reason. Not only did he play well, he played with passion, something that missed in the 2016 edition of the Jets for the most part.

The group played well at times, especially against the run. But never did they take over games like they were supposed to.

Linebackers: C

It’s hard to fail a group that includes the most consistent tackler on the team. David Harris put up another strong season, coming up with 95 total tackles. It is his first season sub-100 tackles since 2011, but for a 32 year old player, it’s more than solid.

The rest of them have to get better. Darron Lee is being groomed as Harris’ heir apparent, and he did post 73 tackles, good for second on the team. But he went through growing pains which are typical for a rookie. Other than Harris, the entire group is young and they have to learn to play together. There is plenty of talent in the room.

The biggest problem was the pass defense. Per ESPN, the Jets allowed 75 receptions, 819 yards, and 10 touchdowns to tight ends, mainly the linebackers’ responsibility. Harris has never been the most effective on passing downs, and the other guys are simply too young. They aren’t used to defending against pro-style passing offenses. They will learn and get better as they play together more.

As for this year, though, the results were average-at-best, but nothing close to being something you’d call a “bright spot.”

Defensive Backs: F

This group was an absolute mess. Mike Maccagnan put a lot of money into revitalizing this group when he arrived in 2015. They stopped receiving the rewards after just one season.

The decline was led by Darrelle Revis who is basically a shadow of his former self. Even with the interception in the final game, he proved that age is getting to him. Without a pay cut (which he doesn’t have a history of taking) or a move to safety (which there’s a “fat chance” of happening) Revis won’t be back in a Jets uniform.

Everyone was bad, but the other one worth highlighting was Marcus Gilchrist. Where did he go? It appeared on film that he was lost. Revis was bad, but there were times when he was expecting help from Gilchrist and got nothing. He was always missing his assignment, either following the wrong guy or standing dead in his tracks. He played as if it was his first year in the defensive scheme, not his second.

Maccagnan has his work cut out for him to improve this group. If they’re going to turn things around as a team moving forward, the holes in the secondary are going to have to get filled in.

Special Teams: F

If the grade could have been lower than that, it would have been. Where do we begin? Nick Folk put up his lowest 16-game point total since 2012. Lachlan Edwards showed potential during the preseason, but he never became much more than Ryan Quigley as a punter. Unfortunately, that was only the beginning of the issues for the Jets special teams.

The return game was never anything to speak of. The had one kickoff return over 50 yards and one over 60, but the rest were not so good. Nobody averaged more than 6.5 yards per punt return. They allowed big plays, blocked kicks and couldn’t protect the football. It’s one thing to have a bad team at least have special teams to lean on. However, it’s back-breaking when that unit is also to the detriment of the team.

Otherwise, the Jets special teams squad was fantastic…

These guys are not going to want to bring these report cards home to their parents, as they will likely get grounded. It was not good.

How did I do? Did I get them right, Jets fans? Sound off in the comments below.