Shortly after drafting RB Joe McKnight out of USC the Jets traded Leon Washington to the Seahawks along with a 7th round pick for a 5th round pick.  Leon Washington broke his leg during last season and he is still recovering but the prognosis is good.  Washington played in 7 games for the Jets last season and he had 72 carries for 331 yards (4.6 ypc).  He also caught 15 passes for 131 yards (8.7 avg) out of the backfield last year.  Washington also returned 2 punts for 16 yards (8.0 avg) and he also returned 16 punts for 385 yards (24.1 avg) last season.  Washington has now played in 55 games in his NFL career in which he has carried the ball 370 times for 1,782 yards (4.8 avg) with 13 TD carries and he has also caught 123 passes for 969 yards (7.9 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Washington has returned 64 punts for 599 yards (9.4 avg) and he has also returned 117 punts for 2,986 yards (25.5 avg) with 4 TD returns in his NFL career.  This was a good move for both the Jets and Leon Washington who will get a chance to revive his career in Seattle.

The Jets have acquired 26-year old WR Santonio Holmes from the Steelers for a 5th round pick (#151 overall) in 2010.  Holmes played in all 16 games for the Steelers last season in which he caught 79 passes for 1,248 yards (15.8 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 6 yards (2.0 ypc) last season.  Holmes has now played in 60 games in his four years in the NFL in which he has caught 235 passes for 3,835 yards (16.3 avg) with 20 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 11 times for 45 yards (4.1 ypc) in his career.  Holmes can even return kicks or punts if the Jets need him to.  Holmes has returned 62 punts for 496 yards (8.0 avg) with 1 TD grab and 18 kickoffs for 436 yards (24.2 avg).  Even with Holmes having a possible 4-game NFL suspension hanging over his head the Jets couldn’t pass up getting him for this kind of a price.

The Jets have traded 27-year old safety Kerry Rhodes to the Cardinals for a 4th round pick in 2010 and a 7th round pick in 2011.  Rhodes played in all 16 games for the Jets last season in which he made 63 tackles, defensed 13 passes, had 2 tackles for a loss and 3 interceptions.  Rhodes played in 80 games in his time with the Jets and he made 417 tackles, he had 9 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, he defensed 47 passes and he had 15 interceptions.  This was a good trade for the Jets because he was often in Rex Ryan’s Dog House.

The Jets have acquired 25-year old cornerback Antonio Cromartie from the Chargers for a conditional third round pick in 2011.  That pick could escalate into a 2nd rounder depending on how much P.T. Cromartie gets in 2010 and how well the Jets do during the season.  Still that was a small price to pay for a good young corner to team with Darrelle Revis.  Cromartie played in all 16 games for the Chargers last season and he had 33 tackles, defensed 10 passes and he had 3 interceptions.  He has now played in 64 games in his NFL career and he has made 165 tackles, defensed 41 passes and he has 15 interceptions (two of which he returned for TDs).  Cromartie also returned 19 kickoffs for 442 yards (23.3 avg) for the Chargers.  I love this move for the Jets.

The Jets have acquired 26-year old WR Braylon Edwards from the Cleveland Browns for WR Chansi Stuckey, LB Jason Trusnick and 2 undisclosed draft picks.  Edwards was off to a slow start with the Browns playing in 4 games in which he caught 10 passes for 139 yards (13.9 avg).  But he has a huge upside and the Jets were smart to trade for him shortly after he punched one of LeBron James’ friends at a night club in Cleveland likely lowering the asking price of the Browns.  Edwards has now played in 62 games in his five year NFL career and he has caught 238 passes for 3,697 yards (15.5 avg) with 28 TD grabs.  This was steal for the Jets as Edwards is in his free agent walk year so he should be motivated to excel.

26-year old WR Chansi Stuckey was starting opposite of Jerricho Cotchery with the Jets.  He played in 4 games this season for the Jets and he caught 11 passes for 120 yards (10.9 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Stuckey played in 19 games in his two years with the Jets and he caught 43 passes for 479 yards (11.1 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  25-year old linebacker Jason Trusnick was a special teams ace for the Jets this season playing in all 4 games in which he made 6 tackles and forced 1 fumble.  He played three years with the Jets covering 17 games in which he made 24 tackles and forced 1 fumble.  This was not much to give up for Edwards unless the picks were high ones.