THE list of dysfunctional teams in the NFL seems to be never-ending. The Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins, Miami Dolphins, and the New York Jets routinely provide moments of pure insanity that make us question the ability of all front offices involved. 

But it’s maybe the latter team that stands the tallest out of any team after the NFL trade deadline — which may come as a surprise.

If you have been paying attention this season, you can’t help but notice that the New York Jets have been the epitome of failure — on and off the field. 

On the field, the Jets have a 1-6 record so far this season and have rarely looked like a competent NFL team. Soon-to-be franchise quarterback Sam Darnold missed three games with mononucleosis, also known as the kissing disease, which compounded the Jets into a 0-4 start to the season, while the team has really struggled to inspire on both sides of the ball. 

The Jets currently rank in the bottom 10 teams for passing yards allowed and rank dead last for total yards gained in the air and on the ground, at 205 yards per game — almost 50 yards fewer than the second-to-last team, the Miami Dolphins. 

A lot of that is down to the rushing attack, which has emphatically struggled due to the weakness of the Jets offensive line.

Without offensive lineman, Kelechi Osemele, the Jets offensive front will only continue to deteriorate. The Osemele situation, like most in MetLife Stadium this season, is an unsavoury one for all involved. 

Osemele sustained a torn labrum earlier in the season and wanted surgery to repair the issue; surgery that would have likely kept him out for the remainder of the 2019 season. 

A fair request, you would think. Putting your player’s safety above all else should be paramount for a team, something Jets general manager Joe Douglas expressed earlier in the week. 

If that was the case, then why did the Jets deny Osemele’s request to have surgery, and instead, ask him to play through the injury with painkilling injections?

Credit to Osemele, who took matters into his own hands and had the surgery, to find out that the damage to his shoulder was more than originally anticipated. 

However, rather than put Osemele on season-ending injured reserve, which would free up a roster spot and allow him to be paid, the Jets instead cut him, voiding his contract.

At this point, it’s hard to choose what sticks out the most, the Jets’ incompetence or their glaring lack of welfare towards players. 

Considering how this season was meant to play out for the Jets, who began to build a roster than could soon challenge the New England Patriots for the control of the AFC East, expectations have fallen well short.

Yet, for what it’s worth, the Jets may have walked away from this trade deadline with just a little bit of hope, depending on how you want to perceive their ongoings.

Heading into the day, there were reports that the Jets would be looking to trade star running back, Le’Veon Bell, who had only just joined the team in the off season.

Bell has struggled to produce behind one of the worst offensive lines in football, averaging only 3.2 rushing yards per attempt, well below the league average, and totalled just two touchdowns. 

Whether that is down to the offensive line or him is up to you, but the numbers speak for themselves. 

If the New York Jets were to trade him, then that would signal their intention of taking two steps back instead of looking towards the near future.

Luckily for Jets fans, it doesn’t seem like the Jets ever got too far with trade talks surrounding Bell. However, the same can’t be said for talks over star safety Jamal Adams. 

The Jets reportedly almost moved the third-year star to the Dallas Cowboys, with the Cowboys going as far as releasing a statement to say that, while they tried, they couldn’t land Adams because the asking price was too high.

This was all after Adams reportedly wanted out of New York, with Dallas being his ideal destination. Adams sent out a tweet later in the day to quash all the rumours of him wanting out of the team, saying that he expressed his desire to stay put before Joe Douglas went behind his back and tried to trade him away.

It seems that chaos knows no friend like the New York Jets. The good news is that both Bell and Adams are still a part of the team — at least until the end of the season — and can move forward with the team and begin to build for next season.

After everything that the Jets have been through in the last few weeks, it’s hard to call them winners after the trade deadline. But, unlike any other team, they were the ones who were closer to moving two incredible players and taking a few steps back in their rebuilding process. 

Instead, they keep both Adams and Bell in the meantime, a move that could save the team a lot of backlash.