Jets Finally Getting What They Paid For From Safeties
The Jets’ revamped cornerback room has certainly delivered on its promise. Rookie Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and free agent acquisition D.J. Reed have combined to allow just 17 receptions for 174 yards and 1 touchdown through four games, according to ProFootballFocus.com’s tracking. Only Dallas’ Trevon Diggs has topped Gardner’s four pass breakups. Equally impressive, the Jets boast the only CB duo who has yet to commit a penalty.
Yet going into last week’s game in Pittsburgh, the Jets were no rated better than average against the pass and were ranked 27th in points allowed. Gang Green was tied for the 8th most touchdown passes surrendered.
What gives? It wasn’t slot corner Michael Carter II so much—outside of getting beat on a 56-yard touchdown to Cincinnati’s Tyler Boyd in Week 3, a play that should have ended at the point of the catch but for a missed tackle by safety Jordan Whitehead, he was responsible for 8 catches that netted 68 yards, which isn’t too shabby.
Per PFF, the Jets’ secondary has been in some form of zone coverage on about three out of every four pass plays defended this season, including 23 of 31 on Sunday (including snaps that ended with sacks and QB scrambles). That means the nearest defender on even the best receivers isn’t always a cornerback.
No, the most problematic issue had been their safety play. Whitehead and Lamarcus Joyner, both of whom signed as free agents this past offseason, struggled in coverage during the first three weeks, with Joyner owning PFF’s lowest pass coverage grade among the 67 safeties with at least 100 snaps. There were miscommunication issues as to receiver responsibility, there were missed tackles galore, and there were times when they were flat out beaten over the top.
However, Whitehead and Joyner each earned their highest PFF grades of the season—by a mile—in New York’s 24-20 upset in Pittsburgh last week. Joyner intercepted two passes and made a terrific play to defend a long ball to Steelers receiver Chase Claypool that ended up in Whitehead’s hands for his first pick of the season.
Claypool, an NFL All-Rookie honoree last season, was held without a catch while Pro Bowler Dionte Johnson was limited to two receptions for a measly 11 yards. Only Pittsburgh’s impressive rookie George Pickens had any success, but about half his 102 yards came on a pair of plays in the fourth quarter, the latter a 27-yard gain in the middle of the field with 8 seconds remaining.
The competition doesn’t get any easier this week with Miami (3-1) visiting MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Jets Offensive Coordinator Mike LaFleur called the Dolphins “the fastest team I’ve ever seen on offense” during his Thursday media session.
Speed demon Tyreek Hill, whom the Jets were in on when Kansas City dangled the All-Pro receiver in offseason trade talks until Hill chose Miami (thanks again, N.J. Governor Murphy and your ridiculously high tax burden), has joined second-year standout Jaylen Waddle to form perhaps the most lethal wide receiver duo in the league. And though Miami starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will be out with a concussion, backup Teddy Bridgewater, who spent one preseason with the Jets before being traded, will surely still be levels ahead of the Mitch Trubisky/Kenny Pickett tandem New York’s defense had their way with last week in Pittsburgh.
It wasn’t a coincidence that Gang Green’s front four had a productive outing against the Steelers with three sacks and 13 total pressures. In football’s chicken-and-the-egg debate, a secondary that sticks to receivers without bungling assignments helps a pass rush as much as pressure on the quarterback can help make a secondary look good.
Whitehead was always seen as a glue guy for this Jets defense after coming over from Tampa Bay, where he won a Super Bowl ring, on a two-year $14.5 million deal. In addition to being a big-time hitter with above-average cover skills, he is being counted on to be the figurative quarterback of the secondary. The Jets have less invested (1 year, $3 million) in Joyner after he didn’t even make it through one game with New York when a torn triceps ended his season. However, his performance is no less crucial to the secondary’s success.
That both seem to be turning their struggles from the first few games around is a positive development. However, they will be tested in the coming weeks against elite opposing receivers and QBs. We’ll have to see if they can maintain this level, because only then can we start talking about the Jets’ defense becoming a factor to be reckoned with.
Prediction: Dolphins 23 Jets 16