The opening wave of free agency is behind us, which means the remainder of the NFL’s available veterans are likely to be plucked slowly over the next few months.

The New York Jets have been among the NFL’s most active teams since the new league year opened. However, the Jets entered the offseason with arguably the most porous depth chart in the league. It means that plenty of holes remain even after an eventful opening week of free agency.

Luckily for the Jets, they still have $48.7 million in cap space, per Spotrac, which ranks fourth in the NFL. This gives them the flexibility to stay aggressive for veteran players throughout the remainder of the offseason.

These three underrated free agents could fill important roles on the Jets’ depth chart without costing them too much of that precious cap space.

IOL Austin Corbett

The Jets’ interior offensive line is one of the few units on their depth chart that looks weaker than it did at this time last year. That’s because Josh Myers, who was signed to be their No. 1 backup on the interior, is now a projected starter.

New York must add competition for Myers, who ranked as the second-worst qualified center in Pro Football Focus’ overall grade (52.9) this past season. That competition may come in a later round of the draft, but the Jets would be wise to add a veteran in case the draft board does not shake out as hoped.

They can find it in Austin Corbett, who is not only an overlooked center option but also an experienced starter who is familiar with Frank Reich.

A 2018 second-round pick of the Cleveland Browns, Corbett was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 2019, where he made a name for himself under Sean McVay. Corbett was the Rams’ starting right guard during their 2021 championship season.

Corbett’s success landed him a three-year, $26.3 million contract with the Carolina Panthers in 2022. Spending the last four seasons in Carolina, Corbett played under Reich in 2023, although injuries limited him to four games.

While most of Corbett’s NFL experience has come at guard, the Panthers began using him at center over the past two seasons, and the veteran delivered some encouraging results.

In 2025, across five starts at center, Corbett earned a 70.9 overall grade from PFF, which would have tied for eighth-best among 32 qualified centers over the full season. He committed one penalty, yielded one sack, and was responsible for allowing a measly six pressures on 179 pass-blocking snaps (3.4% pressure rate).

Compare those numbers to Myers. In 17 starts, Myers committed seven penalties, allowed three sacks, and coughed up 28 pressures on 640 pass-blocking snaps (4.4% pressure rate).

Because of the small sample size, the league has yet to catch onto Corbett’s success at center, which gives the Jets a chance to buy low on a player with upside.

You don’t often talk about upside with 30-year-old players, but it exists here. Corbett’s uptick in production after a late-career position change makes him the type of free agent who could outperform his next contract.

K Daniel Carlson

For the most part, the Jets have shown an admirable level of commitment to replicating their dominance on special teams. They have re-signed a plethora of core special teams players, including Kene Nwangwu, Andrew Beck, and Mykal Walker.

The exception is their plan (or lack thereof) at kicker.

New York watched the borderline impeccable Nick Folk walk to the Atlanta Falcons for a relatively cheap deal: two years and $9 million, with $4 million guaranteed. That alone was shocking enough, but the Jets responded by signing Cade York, who has made a ghastly 73.3% of his career field goal attempts (33 for 45).

The only kickers on New York’s roster are York and Lenny Krieg, a German native who came to the NFL in 2025 through the NFL’s International Player Pathway program.

If the Jets are serious about maintaining their reputation as one of the NFL’s best organizations on special teams, they will not settle for such an unreliable competition.

With $48.7 million in cap space to spare, New York should kick the tires on two-time All-Pro Daniel Carlson. The eight-year Raiders kicker appears to be headed for a new home after Las Vegas signed Matt Gay in free agency.

Carlson is coming off an underwhelming year in which he made only 81.5% of his field goals (22 of 27). It marked the fifth straight year in which his field goal percentage declined from the previous season.

However, his peaks are tantalizing. Carlson has made over 91% of his field goals in three of his eight NFL seasons. For his career, he owns a solid 86.9% field goal percentage.

It’s possible that New York avoided ponying up for Folk because of his age. Well, Carlson is only 31, so he has many years left.

In 2025, the Jets emerged among the NFL organizations that appeared to care the most about special teams. Going out and signing Carlson to replace Folk would continue their prioritization of the game’s forgotten third phase.

RB Nick Chubb

It wouldn’t be the worst idea for the Jets to add some competition to their running back room.

The Jets are set to walk into a third straight season with Breece Hall, Braelon Allen, and Isaiah Davis as their top three backs. Hall is a clear-cut starter in the league, but Allen and Davis have yet to prove much.

There is clearly potential in both young runners, who were drafted together in 2024. However, neither player has done enough to avoid being pushed in the summer. Allen is averaging just 3.7 yards per attempt on 110 career carries. Davis is at 5.6, but many of his 73 career carries have come in garbage time or on third-and-long.

Again, these numbers are not intended to suggest that Allen and Davis do not have potential—just that the Jets would be wise to add some competition that can raise the running back unit’s floor in case neither player amounts to much more.

Nick Chubb is an intriguing option because of his projected fit in the Jets’ scheme.

Once an elite playmaker, the now-30-year-old Chubb has clearly not been the same player since the gruesome leg injury he suffered in 2023. But if placed in the right situation, he can still help an offense.

Playing 15 games for the Houston Texans in 2025, Chubb recorded 122 carries for 506 yards and three touchdowns. While his overall average of 4.1 yards per carry does not jump off the page, he was much better in the run concepts that are expected to be prioritized in the Jets’ offense.

As we broke down in an analysis of Frank Reich’s past tendencies, Reich’s most recent teams heavily leaned toward inside zone and man/duo concepts in the run game. Consequently, outside zone took a back seat.


Data per FTN Fantasy

If Reich sustains these numbers in New York, Chubb would be a good fit, as he is still a solid runner on those two concepts.

When used on either inside zone or man/duo in 2025, Chubb carried the ball 89 times for 419 yards and two touchdowns, giving him an average of 4.7 yards per carry. On all other concepts, Chubb averaged 2.6 yards per carry.

Not to mention, a whopping 73% of Chubb’s carries were on inside zone or man/duo, which is extremely high (league average: 46%). This shows that the Texans knew Chubb is at his best as a between-the-tackles thumper at this stage of his career—and he did well in the role.

This ability proved valuable in a playoff environment. During Houston’s wild card victory in Pittsburgh, Chubb rushed nine times for 44 yards (4.9 yards per carry) on inside zone or man/duo concepts. The Texans rode him down the field on two separate touchdown drives, as Chubb churned out one positive gain after the next.

At the very least, New York’s young backfield would benefit from the knowledge bestowed by the Chubb.

Signing a 30-year-old running back isn’t the sexiest proposition. But when the scheme fit works and there is a need for experience and competition in the room, it makes more sense than some might think.