2015 NFL Free Agency: What is next for New York Jets Defensive Back Dawan Landry
Dawan Landry will more than likely hit the free agent market because of the youth movement that the New York Jets will be going through in their defensive backfield.
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Landry will be going into his 10th NFL season when 2015 kicks off, but his last two seasons in “Gotham” have not been as productive as the New York Jets would have been hoping for at the $3 million that he was being paid over the last two seasons.
Defensive backs are supposed to create turnovers, and Landry’s production in that department was — none.
He played 32 games for the New York Jets and has just one interception to show for it.
In fact, if you were to look at his total stat line for his stay in New York, he collected 129 tackles, 2.5 sacks, one interception and eight passes defensed.
With Todd Bowles coming to the Jets to be the new head coach after parting ways with Rex Ryan, that production is not going to fly.
Rich Cimini for ESPNNewYork.com said in a nutshell that Landry is not going to fit into the plans of NYJ:
“Todd Bowles wants to get younger and faster on defense, so look for Landry to move on.”
True, Dawan Landry went into 2014 as the most experienced defensive back on the New York Jets roster, but at the same time, the Jets have 2014 first-round draft pick Calvin Pryor waiting in the wings to take over the safety spot, thus making Landry completely expendable.
Nov 9, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) escapes a tackle attempt by New York Jets strong safety Dawan Landry (26) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
So what does this mean for Landry’s future?
This means that he is going to continue the remaining years of his career with his fourth franchise.
So what franchises are going to be interested in acquiring the services of Dawan Landry ?
According to Rich Cimini one of the obvious choices would be the Buffalo Bills.
Buffalo did hire Rex Ryan to become their new head coach and Ryan would like the fact that Landry knows the defensive scheme he likes to run.
In the ESPNNewYork.com report, it is said that there is a chance that Bills’ safety DaNorris Searcy could be picked up in free agency by another team, and if that is the case, Landry could reunite with Ryan upstate in Buffalo.
Landry has a total of five-years under his belt playing in Ryan’s defense between the two-years he played in New York and the three-years he was under Ryan in Baltimore.
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Familiarity is a factor for Dawan Landry possibly finding his way to Buffalo, but that is not the only possibility.
Denver may also be interested in acquiring Landry’s services to take the place of Rahim Moore.
According to the Bleacher Report, though Moore has improved since his mistake in the 2013 playoffs, he is still an average safety in the NFL world.
Pro Football Focus has Dawan Landry ranked as the ninth best safety out of 87 NFL safeties while Moore finished 46th.
Though Landry was not creating turnovers for the Jets, he played well against the run.
Landry will be playing for someone in 2015 for his 10th NFL season and he is going to fit into someone’s plans.
At $1.5 million, regardless of how many turnovers he may or may not have created in the last few seasons, he is going to bring a lot of experience to the field.
Landry is going to figure into the free agency narrative this off season, it is just a matter of when and where.