With offseason workouts and minicamps in the rearview mirror and training camps just a few weeks away, we assess the New York Jets' offseason moves and assign a letter grade in the video above.
Best move: By signing cornerback Darrelle Revis, the Jets checked the box in three categories. They upgraded their biggest weakness by acquiring one of the premier players at the position. They weakened their No. 1 rival, the New England Patriots, by swiping their best defensive player. They sent a loud message to the fan base, making a splashy move to signal the start of a new regime and a new philosophy. The Jets paid an obscene amount of money ($39 million fully guaranteed) for a 30-year-old player, a minimum three-year investment that could impact spending at other positions, but they probably can get away with it because they don't have a franchise quarterback on the books. In essence, Revis is their franchise quarterback.
Riskiest move: The Jets overpaid for cornerback Buster Skrine, considering his projected role -- nickelback. He got starter's money ($13 million fully guaranteed), but he will be No. 3 in the pecking order, behind Revis and Antonio Cromartie. If Skrine develops into an elite slot corner, the money will be justified, but he'll have to clean up the penalties. As a starter for the Cleveland Browns, he committed 15 penalties last season (11 accepted). That has to change. Some believe Skrine could move into a starting job in 2016 if the organization moves on from Cromartie to save cap dollars, but Skrine doesn't have ideal size (5-foot-9) for Todd Bowles' scheme. He likes big corners who can play aggressive, press coverage.
Low-risk, potentially big-reward move: It wasn't a great crop of free-agent wide receivers, so Mike Maccagnan made a smart move by trading for Brandon Marshall. The cost was modest (a fifth-round pick) and, even though they sweetened his contract as part of the trade agreement, the $9 million salary for 2015 remains market value. The Jets got him on the cheap, in terms of draft-pick compensation, because he's coming off a down, injury-plagued season. But he's still only 31 and he should be able to revert to his pre-2014 form, when he racked up seven straight 1,000-yard seasons. He will be the Jets' No. 1 receiver. The downside: Marshall is a combustible personality, with a reputation for causing problems in the locker room. If the Jets don't like his act, they can cut him after one year with no cap implications.
Training camp outlook: The addition of several high-profile players, coupled with new leadership on the sideline and in the front office, has fueled tremendous optimism. The organization got stale under Rex Ryan and it needed a change. Bowles has a playoff-caliber defense, but the season will hinge on whether they can have consistent play from the quarterback position. Ryan never did, and that's why he's working in Buffalo. Bowles is hoping his 63-year-old offensive coordinator, Chan Gailey, can be the Quarterback Whisperer, teaching the erratic Geno Smith to avoid turnovers. This could be the biggest challenge of Gailey's long career.