Cornerback has been one of the weakest links in the Jets defense since Darrelle Revis left in 2012, and that trend could continue in 2019.
The Jets had the 13th-worst pass defense DVOA in 2018, according to Football Outsiders, and allowed the eighth-most passing yards this past season. Unfortunately, the Jets didn’t do much to upgrade their secondary and decided not to re-sign top cornerback Morris Claiborne this offseason.
Lack of depth behind the starters is another huge hole on the Jets roster, one that needs to resolve itself during training camp between the 12 cornerbacks on the roster. Trumaine Johnson, Darryl Roberts and Brian Poole are likely entrenched as the top three cornerbacks on the team, but it’s anyone’s guess who will emerge behind them.
Here is a breakdown of the Jets’ cornerback situation heading into training camp.
QB RB WR TE OL DL
The Starters
Trumaine Johnson returns as the unquestioned No. 1 cornerback for the Jets, even though he rarely played like one in his first season in New York. Johnson missed six games with injuries after signing a massive five-year, $72.5 million contract in 2018, and only finished with 35 tackles, five batted balls and four interceptions.
Darryl Roberts, who is the only other returning Jets cornerback with starting experience, was actually better than Johnson at times in 2018. The five-year pro started a career-high 10 games this past season after various injuries to the Jets secondary and tallied a career-high 48 tackles, seven batted balls and one interception. Roberts stepped up in Johnson’s absence for five games before shifting to safety to play for the injured Marcus Maye.
The effectiveness of the Johnson and Roberts duo remains to be seen, as both had terrible lapses in coverage throughout the 2018 campaign. To make matters worse, both players were benched for the Jets’ Week 17 match due to disciplinary reasons, though they will likely have a better standing with the new coaching regime of Adam Gase and Gregg Williams.
Newcomer Brian Poole steps into the slot cornerback role vacated by Buster Skrine. Poole is a versatile run-stopping corner who should fit well in Williams’ aggressive defense.
The Backups
As mentioned before, cornerback is one of the Jets’ shallowest positions. The other nine cornerbacks on the roster have a combined 36 games of experience between them.
Nickerson, Derrick Jones, Bless Austin and Arthur Maulet are the four likely backups behind Johnson, Roberts and Poole. Nickerson is a solid slot cornerback to back up Poole, Jones and Maulet have actual live game experience and Austin was a 2019 sixth-round pick (Austin will begin training camp on the non-football injury list). Coincidentally, Nickerson and Jones were also picked in the sixth round by the Jets – Nickerson in 2018 and Jones in 2017.
New York fielded seven cornerbacks to begin the 2018 season, but Gase’s Dolphins and Williams’ Browns rostered only five to six, so there’s a chance only six cornerbacks will make the final roster.
Fighting For A Spot
With the cornerback position very much a question mark in 2019, there is a real opportunity for anyone on the roster to take a backup spot on the roster.
Jeremy Clark – another 2017 sixth-round pick – leads the candidates who stand a fighting chance because of his playing experience. Former Browns and Raiders cornerback Montrel Meander was Joe Douglas’ first waiver claim as Jets general manager, so he will also get a long look.
Kyron Brown is a big-bodied undrafted free agent out of Akron who could give the Jets size from the bench. Mark Myers was a productive college player at Southeastern University before a brief preseason stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and time in the AAF and CFL. Tevaughn Campbell is another tall option.
Final Analysis
The Jets’ cornerback situation is not envious by any means, and it wouldn’t be all that surprising if Douglas decided to bring in some veteran talent through trades or free agency to bolster the unit.
Everything will hinge on Gregg Williams’ ability to get the most out of Johnson and Roberts with inventive defensive schemes that can mask the duo’s shortcomings. Johnson played well for Williams when the two were in St. Louis, so the ability is there. Poole is the newcomer and the wildcard of the group but should be able to outperform his predecessor in the slot.
The biggest worry comes with the depth behind those three. Unless a player shines in training camp and the preseason, the Jets will need to hope injuries don’t befall the secondary like they did in 2018.
