Snaps Lost: New York Jets

The “Snaps Lost” series is a detailed look at the playing time void created by players that have left each team this offseason, whether they were traded, cut, left in free agency, or retired.

Because each unit plays a different number of snaps over the course of the year, we have created the “Full Time Equivalent” metric. FTE is the total number of missing snaps divided by the number of plays the team ran on that side of the ball. This is an equivalent measure of how many full time players (100% snap count) the team would need to add on to make up for their offseason losses, even though very few players actually play a full snap count.

For example, if a team had 1,100 snaps on offense and then lost seven players who combined to play 2,200 snaps, their FTE would be 2.0 (2,200/1,100). This ensures that a team who lost a high volume of players only has a high FTE if those players racked up some significant playing time. FTE can only fall between zero (no players left the team) and 11 (fire everyone!) for each side of the ball.

Each team will have a ranking following their FTE, with the first-ranked team in each category (offense, defense, and total) representing the team with the smallest portion of their playing time in need of replacement.

A few caveats before getting into the good stuff:
-Suspensions and injuries that may limit 2015 snap counts are not considered.
-Biggest Losses are purely in terms of snap count, not necessarily in terms of impact.
-All snap counts are Regular Season only.

New York Jets

Overall FTE Lost: 3.37, 4th

Offense

FTE Lost: 1.59, 5th

Biggest Losses: Chris Johnson (407), Percy Harvin (373), David Nelson (305)

Summary – Despite making some big offseason moves, the Jets really didn’t lose much on either side of the ball. Offensively, they declined to pick up Johnson’s option and the former Tennessee star finds himself without a team as he approaches age 30. They got just 373 snaps out of Harvin after trading for him midway through the 2014 season and then subsequently cut him after the season. Nelson was essentially the team’s third wide receiver prior to the Harvin trade, but after converting 172 pass routes into just 65 receiving yards, New York decided to move on from the young wideout.

Replacement Plan – The Jets loaded up at halfback, signing Stevan Ridley away from their division rival and making a post-draft trade for Zac Stacy. While those two additions could take some snaps, both Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell could see an increased workload in 2015. In another trade, the Jets acquired Brandon Marshall from the Bears and though the 31-year-old receiver may be past his prime, he can still be a major contributor. He should have no trouble replacing both Harvin and Nelson, as Marshall has averaged over 900 snaps per year since 2007.

Defense

FTE Lost: 1.78, 7th

Biggest Losses: Dawan Landry (970), Kyle Wilson (320), Phillip Adams (315)

Summary – Landry put forth a strong year for Gang Green, recording a +10.9 grade on the season without grading below -1.0 even once. But at 32, he’s drawn little interest on the free agent market and may have to wait for a starter to go down before getting a call. Wilson’s disappointing five-year run in New York came to an end as the team let him hit free agency. The former first-round pick was a useful enough player, even if he never lived up to his draft status, and now finds himself in New Orleans. Adams struggled at cornerback when pressed into action, earning a -9.2 coverage grade on just 183 snaps in coverage and will compete for a roster spot with the Falcons next season.

Replacement Plan – No one went harder at cornerback this offseason than the Jets, bringing back Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie while signing Buster Skrine from the Browns. In addition to taking the place of Wilson and Adams, those three figure to be the team’s top corners and will also eat into some of the snaps of guys who played last year like Darrin Walls and Marcus Williams. After four years in San Diego, the Jets enticed Marcus Gilchrist to move to the east coast with a four-year deal. Along with last year’s first-round draft choice, Calvin Pryor, Gilchrist should lock down the back end of what has shaped up to be a much improved secondary.