It’s not secret the New York Jets were not a good football team in 2014. This was due in large part to an incredibly weak secondary which featured many guys people have not heard of like Phillip Adams and Darrin Walls. It wasn’t long ago when the secondary was a strength for the Jets. In recent years they traded away CB Darrelle Revis and let CB Antonio Cromartie. Well it looks like the gang is getting back together….and then some.
Revis returns to the Jets
New Jets GM Mike Maccagnan is doing something John Idzik wouldn’t do, spend a dollar. Maccagnan has been busy retooling the Jets secondary bringing back both Darrelle Revis (5 years, $70 million) and Antonio Cromartie (4 years, $32 million). This duo played together with the Jets from 2010-2012 when the Jets had one of the most feared defenses under Rex Ryan. Revis is coming off of a Super Bowl season that saw him play some of his best football of his career. Cromartie played last year for the Arizona Cardinals on a 1 year $3.5 million deal under defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. Bowles is now the Jets head coach and wanted to bring back Cromartie whom at 30 years old still has football left in the tank.
The Jets have also added CB Buster Skrine (4 years, $25 million) formerly of the Cleveland Browns and CB/S Marcus Gilchrist (4 years, $22 million) of the San Diego Chargers. Skrine figures to be the nickel corner which pushes former 1st round pick Dee Milliner to the #4 corner and last years 3rd round pick Dexter McDougle as the #5 corner. Gilchrist was drafted initially as a corner but has played both strong and free safety. Although free safety is not his best position, with the corners currently on the roster and last years 1st round pick Calvin Pryor slated to play strong safety, it looks as though Gilchrist will be the starting free safety.
An interesting possibility is moving Antonio Cromartie to free safety which I think will be discussed. Cromartie has long been known for his ball hawking abilities with 31 career interceptions and as he gets older, he may be better suited to cover space and not a player. Charles Woodson was initially a cornerback before he realized as he got older, he was better suited for the safety role. I think the same could be said here for the Jets, especially with the depth they now have at corner.