The Jets added an experienced safety to their defensive back rotation on Tuesday, claiming Derrick Kindred off waivers from the Indianapolis Colts.
Kindred comes to New York with a solid track record of production and the ability to contribute in both pass coverage and run support. The Jets already have a handful of solid safeties in the mix, but it doesn’t hurt to bring in a new body to spice up competition at the position.
What should Jets fans know about the team’s newest defensive back? Here are four interesting bits about Kindred.
Last-minute change of heart
Coming out of Karen Wagner High School in Texas, Kindred was not originally heavily recruited. That all changed once it came time to sign his national letter of intent.
With National Signing Day approaching, Kindred was set to sign with the University of Texas at Santonio as part of the football program’s inaugural recruiting class. However, in the weeks leading up to signing day, Baylor and TCU started going after the three-star safety hard. He eventually signed with TCU and went on to have a productive career as a two-year starter at safety for the Horned Frogs.
Peanut
While at TCU, Kindred earned himself a unique nickname thanks to quarterback Trevone Boykin.
Members of the football team affectionately called Kindred “peanut” due to the shape of his head. Boykin started the nickname and eventually, it trickled down to the rest of the team and followed Kindred for the remainder of his collegiate career.
Tough as Nails
In his senior year at TCU, Kindred suffered an injury that threatened to end his final collegiate season before it could even get started.
Three days before TCU’s season opener in 2015, Kindred tripped over a teammate in practice and sustained a broken left collarbone. Doctors evaluated him and allowed him to continue playing through the injury with extra padding surrounding the area.
Kindred’s collarbone injury did not hamper him at all throughout the course of the season, as he recorded 87 tackles and two interceptions for the Horned Frogs.
Versatile Veteran
In three seasons with the Browns, Kindred lined up all over the field and contributed at both cornerback and safety.
Kindred saw the bulk of his playing time at safety, but proved his worth at corner in certain sub-packages — especially under current Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams in 2018. With Williams calling Cleveland’s defense a year ago, Kindred recorded 45 tackles and one interception.
Given Kindred’s positional versatility, it comes as no surprise that Williams showed an interest in bringing him to New York.
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