As the Jets get close to training camp, I am going to examine the roster and give you my top 25 players. Each weekday, we will reveal another person on the list, leading right into camp. I am not including rookies on this list because I do not feel it is possible to fully evaluate them before they play a game.
No. 3: Sheldon Richardson
Last year’s ranking: 4
Position: DT
Age: 26
How acquired: Selected in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft
Years left on contract: 1
2017 Salary Cap figure: $8.1 million
Looking back at 2016: My initial perception of Richardson’s 2016 season was that it was a poor one. But after re-watching every game from last season, I think Richardson played better than initially thought.
The poor perception of his year stems from two things I think – poor stats (1.5 sacks) and his off-field issues. Richardson was benched in Miami along with Muhammad Wilkerson for being repeatedly late to meetings. He also feuded all year with wide receiver Brandon Marshall.
But if you actually watch Richardson play, it is hard not to be amazed by some of the athletic plays the 294-pound man makes. His forced fumble in the final game of the year was a good example. He got into the backfield so quickly and actually had his back to the ballcarrier, but he got there so quick that he knocked the ball out.
Richardson has complained a bit about playing out of position, but the Jets really stopped doing that midway though last year. Yes, he lined up at inside linebacker against the Cardinals and at outside linebacker at times because they were thin at the position, but most of the time he was in a three-point stance on the line, where he is most comfortable.
Pro Football Focus ranked him the 19th-best edge defender out of 106 they graded. He was 67th in pass rush and ninth against the run. Richardson had 31 total run stops.
Outlook for 2017: The main question here is whether Richardson will make it to the end of the season with the Jets.
He has been on the trading block for close to a year now. Richardson is not part of the team’s long-term plans, and they would love to deal him for the right price. So far, no one has met that price. Will that change by the trading deadline?
If Richardson remains, it is crucial that coach Todd Bowles figures out a way to maximize the skills of his talented defensive line. So far, the combination of Richardson, Wilkerson and Leonard Williams has been disappointing as a whole. Bowles struggled last year to deploy the three of them effectively. That is a must in 2017.
