The Jets have signed 30-year old TE Bubba Franks.  Franks will give either Chad Pennington or Kellen Clemens a nice, big target on short passes over the middle as Franks is 6’6″, 265 pounds.  Franks played in 8 games for the Packers last season and he caught 18 passes for 132 yards (7.3 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He has now played in 114 games in his NFL career and he has caught 256 passes for 2,300 yards (9.0 avg) with 32 TD grabs.  This was a solid signing for the Jets who needed some help at the TE position.

The Jets have signed RB Jesse Chatman to a 1-year deal.  Chatman gives the Jets a power back to get the tough yards as he is 5’8″, 233 pounds.  Chatman played in 14 games last season for the Dolphins and he carried the ball 128 times for 515 yards (4.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 27 passes for 161 yards (6.0 avg).  Chatman has now played in 55 games in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 207 times for 943 yards (4.6 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  He also has caught 37 passes for 276 yards (7.5 avg).  This signing further proves that the Jets off-season goal was to improve the running game on offense.

The Jets have signed fullback Tony Richardson to a 1-year deal.  The 36-year old Richardson will give the Jets a real fullback who is a good blocker to lead the way for Thomas Jones and Leon Washington in 2008.  He played in 14 games for the Vikings last season and he carried the ball 7 times for 13 yards (1.9 ypc).  He also caught 11 passes for 89 yards (8.1 avg).  He has now played in 186 games in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 407 times for 1,601 yards (3.9 ypc) with 15 TD runs.  He also has caught 201 passes for 1,498 yards (7.5 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  This was a good move for the Jets who are trying to improve their running game this off-season.

The Jets have signed CB Andre Woolfolk.  Woolfolk is a former first round pick of the Tennessee Titans who never quite panned out.  Woolfolk did not play at all last season.  In 2006 he played  in 10 games last season for the Titans and he made 5 whole tackles.  He has now played in 39 games in his NFL career and he has made 132 tackles, defensed 18 passes, forced 1 fumble and intercepted 3 passes.  It’s doubtful that Woolfolk will be anything more than a nickel or dime back with the Jets this season.

The Jets have signed OLB Calvin Pace to a 6-year, $42 million dollar contract.  Pace played in 16 games last season for the Cardinals and he made 93 tackles, defensed 6 passes, had 6.5 sacks, forced a fumble and intercepted a pass.  He has now played in 67 games in his NFL career and he has made 186 tackles, defensed 12 passes, has 14 sacks, forced 5 fumbles and picked off a pass.  The Jets probably overpaid a little bit but Pace could be a impact player for their defense.

The Jets have continued to revamp their offensive line with the addition of tackle Damien Woody.  30-year old Woody is a large man at 6’3″, 340 pounds who should help out big time in the running game for the Jets.  He signed on for 5 years and $25.5 million bucks.  He played in 13 games (8 starts) last season for the Lions.  Woody has now played in 128 games (121 starts) in his NFL career.  This was a solid move for the Jets who are doing a good job improving the offensive line which was a big weakness for them last season.

The Jets made a bold move to improve the interior of their offensive line by signing veteran guard Alan Faneca to a 5-year, $40 million dollar contract.  The 6’5″, 307 pound Faneca should help the Jets revive a running game that didn’t help the offense much last season.  He played in all 16 games for the Steelers last season and he has only missed 2 games due to injury in his 10-year NFL career.  This was a outstanding move for the Jets.

The New York Jets have acquired DT Kris Jenkins from the Panthers for a 3rd and 5th round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.  Jenkins is a load in the running game at 6’4″, 335 pounds but he didn’t have his best season last year.  He played in 16 games for the Panthers last season and he made 38 tackles and had 2.5 sacks.  Jenkins has now played in 85 games in his NFL career and he has made 216 tackles, defensed 8 passes, has 20.5 sacks and he’s forced a fumble.  If Jenkins rebounds from his off 2007 season the Jets have a steal here.

The Jets have traded linebacker Jonathan Vilma to the Saints for a conditional 4th round pick that can improve based on his play.  Vilma didn’t really fit in with Eric Mangini’s defensive system so they decided to ditch him.  He played in 7 games for the Jets last season and he made 43 tackles, defensed 4 passes and intercepted 1 pass.  Vilma has played in 55 games in his NFL career and he has made 441 tackles, defensed 19 passes, has 2.5 sacks, forced 5 fumbles and intercepted 6 passes including one that he returned for a TD.  The Jets probably won’t miss Vilma too much but he should play pretty well for the Saints.