5 New York Jets players who disappointed the most in the 2022 season
The New York Jets managed to simultaneously overachieve and underachieve in the 2022 season. Their 7-4 start to the season proved that the Jets were ahead of schedule. Unfortunately, the team's late-season collapse, spurred on by dreadful offensive performances that resulted in six straight losses.
Teams don't just lose six consecutive games without numerous players falling short of expectations, and that was absolutely the case with the Jets this season. Let's take a look at seven players who disappointed the most for the Jets this season.
#5. Braxton Berrios, Wide receiver
When the Jets re-signed fan-favorite Braxton Berrios to a two-year, $12 million deal in the offseason, most rejoiced. Berrios was named first-team All-Pro as a kick returner while finishing second on the team in total catches.
Most expected Berrios to fill a similar role with the Jets in 2022, even with the team's revamped wide receiver room. What followed, however, was a disastrous campaign from Berrios who was essentially a net negative for the organization.
Berrios struggled mightily as a returner and made numerous bone-headed decisions on punts over the latter half of the season. His 62.8 PFF grade ranked him as the 93rd wide receiver in football out of 123 qualifiers.
#4. Elijah Moore, Wide receiver
Elijah Moore went from promising second-year breakout candidate to offensive outcast to disgruntled trade requester to a rotational role in the offense. Ultimately, however, few would have probably predicted before the season started that Moore would finish with worse numbers than his rookie campaign.
The former second-round pick hauled in just 37 catches for 446 yards and one touchdown in 16 games - 10 of which he finished with two or fewer catches. It was a frustrating season for Moore in many ways.
#3. Lamarcus Joyner, Safety
Lamarcus Joyner, a veteran defensive back, was re-signed in the offseason after his first year in New York ended after just nine defensive snaps. Expectations weren't super high for Joyner given his recent track record, but the hope was that he could provide the Jets with a capable, affordable stop-gap free safety option. That didn't prove to be the case.
Joyner was a disaster for the better part of the season. His 57.0 Pro Football Focus grade ranked 70th among 87 qualified safeties. He was one of only three qualified safeties with a PFF coverage grade below 55.0 and a missed-tackle rate above 14 percent. Joyner was equal parts ineffective in coverage as he was in run defense.
#2. Laken Tomlinson, Guard
Laken Tomlinson has been a bust of a free-agent signing for the Jets. The Jets signed Tomlinson, a 2021 Pro Bowler, to a hefty three-year, $40 million contract with the expectation that he would be the team's best offensive lineman in 2022.
Tomlinson finished with a 56.8 Pro Football Focus grade - the worst of his eight-year career - that ranked 57th out of 78 qualified guards. His dreadful 46.9 run-block grade ranked 71st out of 77 qualifiers.
Tomlinson was one of the worst starting guards in football and arguably the weakest link of a Jets' offensive line that saw six different offensive tackles spend time on the IR in 2022. Regression was expected given that Tomlinson was no longer playing alongside Trent Williams.
#1. Zach Wilson, Quarterback
Zach Wilson is the primary reason that the Jets' 7-10 season feels more like a disappointment than a step in the right direction. Wilson's failures and utter implosion in 2022 leave a black mark on what was mostly a positive year for New York Jets.
Young players all across the roster proved themselves as franchise cornerstones for the foreseeable future, but while the likes of Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson soared, Wilson floundered.
From his preseason injury to his multiple in-season benches, there was no bigger disappointment on the Jets' roster in 2022 than Wilson. Wilson entered the season as the hopeful future of the franchise, and will now be lucky to find himself as a third-stringer in 2023.
