Jets 2017 Roster Analysis: Will Steve McLendon Quietly Produce?

As the season approaches, we are going to profile each player on the Jets roster. Today we will look at Steve McLendon.

Name: Steve McLendon

Number: 99

Year with Jets: 2nd

Projected Role: Starting nose tackle

His 2016: McLendon’s Jets career started with a bang as he posted a pair of sacks in the opener against the Bengals. His track record suggested this was not something Jets fans should get used to since he only had 5 career sacks entering the 2016 season. The track record proved accurate as he only added 1.5 more the rest of the way. He quietly provided the team with solid run defense, though. Although he wasn’t the playmaker Damon Harrison was for the Jets, the team didn’t see much if any dropoff in the quality of its run defense with McLendon playing a role in the middle. An injury cost him the last five games of the season so he wasn’t in for the fiasco in San Francisco that might have cost the Jets the best defensive average per run attempt.

2017 will be a success if: McLendon continues to be a solid contributor in the middle of the line, even if it is less than spectacular.

Odds of making the team: Probable (75%-99%)