The Jets struggled at multiple positions in 2019, but no unit was worse than New York’s cornerbacks.
Aside from Brian Poole, who is set to hit free agency, the Jets got little to no production out of their corners throughout the season. Trumaine Johnson and Darryl Roberts were downright awful. Bless Austin showed some flashes of potential in his rookie year, but found himself benched by season’s end. Arthur Maulet and Maurice Canady had their moments, but are not exactly proven starters that New York can rely on entering 2020.
Fortunately for Joe Douglas and the Jets, there are plenty of solid free agent cornerbacks available this offseason. Which ones should New York target? Let’s take a look.
Chris Harris
Although he is getting up there in age, Harris remains one of football’s upper echelon cornerbacks. Opposing quarterbacks seldom threw at the 31-year-old in 2019 as Harris anchored a Broncos secondary that ranked just outside the top 20 in passing yards allowed per game.
Harris is by far the best cornerback on this year’s free agent market. However, he is on the wrong side of 30 and will be worth around $11 million per year, according to Spotrac. The Jets have been burned handing out large contracts to aging corners in recent years, which could give the front office pause on pursuing the four-time Pro Bowler.
Will Douglas and company go all-in and take a shot at bringing Harris to the Big Apple? If New York deems the veteran worth his price tag, it will be firmly in the race for his services.
Bradley Roby
Roby signed a one-year, prove-it contract with the Texans last offseason following a rocky 2018 campaign with the Broncos. The move paid off for both sides, as Roby wound up being worth the $10 million Houston gave him.
The Ohio State product missed six games due to injury, but performed well in his 10 starts with 38 tackles, two interceptions and one forced fumble. His numbers are not anything more than respectable, but Roby was Houston’s best defensive back in 2019. That’s not saying much for a unit that ranked near the bottom of the league in pass coverage, but Roby’s contributions salvaged what would have been an awful year for the Texans’ secondary.
Roby won’t command a big-time contract on the open market, but his value is higher than it was last offseason. A short-term deal worth double figures in average annual value could be enough to entice the 28-year-old if the Jets show interest.
Darqueze Dennard
Dennard missed a large chunk of 2019 due to injury but has been trending in the right direction development wise the last three years after a rough beginning to his career.
The Michigan State product is tough as nails and is a willing tackler in run support. His physicality and willingness to play bump and run coverage could make him an ideal Plan B target for the Jets in free agency. Gregg Williams, if no one else, would certainly appreciate those traits.
Nickell Robey-Coleman
If Brian Poole walks in free agency and the Rams decline his team option, Robey-Coleman should instantly jump toward the top of New York’s free agent cornerback big board.
The former Buffalo Bill was one of football’s best slot cornerbacks in 2019 and still has a lot of good football left ahead of him. He is familiar with the landscape of the AFC East and has the intangibles to be a positive presence on and off the field for the Jets.
Los Angeles will likely pick up Robey-Coleman’s option, taking him off the market before free agency begins. However, with defensive coordinator Wade Phillips out the door and a change to their defensive scheme in store, maybe the Rams feel Robey-Coleman is an expendable piece. If that happens and Poole goes elsewhere, the Jets need to pounce.
Trae Waynes
Waynes has yet to live up to the hype that followed him to Minnesota as a first-round pick in 2015, but a change of scenery could be what the Michigan State product needs to realize his potential.
Not only could a change of scenery benefit Waynes, but a schematic one as well. The Vikings are a zone coverage team, which plays against Waynes’ strength as a man-to-man corner. Considering Gregg Williams’ man-heavy scheme, the Jets could be interested in bringing the 27-year-old with elite speed to the Big Apple.
Paying for potential is a dangerous tightrope that teams often walk in free agency. If New York goes after Waynes, it will be pursuing him with the hope he can reach his ceiling.
Jason Verrett
Verrett’s injury history mirrors the length of a novel. During his time in the NFL, the 28-year-old has suffered two pulled hamstrings, a pulled groin, a torn ACL, a knee tear, a torn labrum in his shoulder and an Achilles tear.
Injuries have prevented the former first-round pick from reaching his potential, but his story in the NFL is far from over. Verrett should not be a top option at cornerback for New York this offseason, but there is some intrigue into giving him an incentive-laden contract with a cheap base salary.
Signing Verrett would be a low-risk, high-reward move for the Jets. If he stays healthy, New York has itself a solid starting cornerback at a bargain rate.
