He just never lived up to the hype.
Veteran pass rusher Carl Lawson is scheduled to be a free agent this offseason after three years with the New York Jets.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine believes that the talented defender could be an ideal fit for the Kansas City Chiefs when he reaches the open market.
“Carl Lawson could be an under-the-radar veteran who could come cheap. He has been buried in a deep Jets rotation of edge-rushers, but he’s proved to be a decent option on lesser teams,” Ballentine explained in a column posted on Monday, January 1.
Carl Lawson’s Time With the Jets Is Over
The Jets took a gamble on Lawson during free agency in 2021.
Gang Green doled out over $45 million on a three-year deal to the former Auburn product despite the fact he had never had a double-digit sack season.
What he lacked in sack production Lawson made up for in the deeper-level analytics.
“Over the course of his tenure with Cincinnati, Lawson owned a career pressure rate of 14.3%. That was the fourth-best pressure rate among all NFL edge rushers (min. 500 pass-rush snaps) over the four-year span from 2017 to 2020,” per Michael Nania of Jets X-Factor.
The only players that had a higher pressure rate were Nick Bosa, Von Miller, and Joey Bosa. Some pretty elite company to share in that pass-rushing category.
Gang Green thought in their defensive system they could unlock Lawson and allow him to reach his full potential.
During training camp and preseason of 2021, it seemed like Lawson was on pace for a career year. However during a joint practice against the Green Bay Packers that offseason, Lawson blew out his Achilles and he was never the same.
In three years with the Jets, one lost to injury, Lawson tallied seven sacks, 24 quarterback hits, and nine tackles for loss. He is scheduled to be a free agent this offseason and the Jets aren’t going to do anything to prevent
Jets Should Be Proactive & Cut the Cord Early
The green and white aren’t bringing Lawson back in 2024.
They have gradually phased him out of the defensive line rotation throughout the season. Lawson has only appeared in six games this year and has been a healthy scratch on multiple occasions.
He is going to find a new NFL home this offseason, but why delay any longer?
The Jets have already been eliminated from playoff contention which means the upcoming Week 18 contest against the New England Patriots will be the last game of the season.
Lawson is healthy and feels like he can contribute. If the Jets just straight-up release him ahead of the regular season finale, it would open the door for him to join a contender ahead of the NFL postseason.
Head coach Robert Saleh said the reason they have continued to hold onto him is because you never know when you will need depth. However, the relevance of that is gone with the Jets season about to come to a screeching halt.
