RADIO
What a difference less than one weeks' time has made for the New York Jets defense. Since the start of the NFL free agency period on March 10th, the Jets secondary has been drastically improved from sub-par to what could be a top-ten unit in the league next season.
What Exactly Happened
New York kicked off the beginning of the free agency period by overpaying for the oft-torched ex-Browns corner Buster Skrine, signing him to a four-year $25 million contract on Tuesday. Despite being only 5' 9", Skrine did record four interceptions in 2014. And while Skrine was over-coveted by the Jets in free agency, he still does provide value as a nickle corner on a team with two other solid cornerbacks.
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The following day the Jets brought back fan-favorite Darrelle Revis on a five-year, $70 million contract. The six-time Pro Bowl corner -- who last played for the Jets back in 2012 before being traded to the Buccaneers, and then playing last season with the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots -- decided to return home to the team that drafted him 14th overall in 2007.
Then on Thursday, the team brought back cornerback Antonio Cromartie, who played for the Jets from 2010-2013 before deciding to sign a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals in 2014. The contract signed by Cromartie is a four-year deal worth a total of $32 million.
On Saturday, for a fourth consecutive day, the Jets made yet another splash in the free agent market signed ex-Chargers safety Marcus Gilchrist to a four-year deal. The 26-year-old former second-round pick was the final piece added to a completely revamped Jets secondary.
An Overall Look at the Defense
New York is a team that already has an elite front seven that features two of the best defensive ends in the league in Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson, who combined for 14.0 sacks last season. And the re-signing of linebacker David Harris, arguable the heart and soul of this defensive unit over the past few seasons, has helped solidify the line-backing corps in New York.
Combine that with two shutdown veteran corners in Revis and Cromartie, and this defense starts to look very scary to opposing offenses. Cromartie, who was overshadowed by the signing of Revis, has been a model for consistency in the NFL, tallying at least three interceptions each year for the last six seasons.
Skrine should thrive in new head coach Todd Bowles defense, being the third corner on a team that has two fantastic starters, allowing for him to not get burned one-on-one coverage on the outside like he did at times in Cleveland.
Factor in that this Jets team has two developing players at safety, Gilchrist and 2014 first-round pick Calvin Pryor, and this safety tandem is only going to get better over time alongside the veteran corners.
After acquiring all of these starters, 2013 first-round pick Dee Milliner can recover from his Achilles injury at his own pace and learn behind Revis and Cromartie, seeing the field sparingly in 2015. The Jets secondary now also has more depth with 2014 third-round pick Dexter McDougle, Antonio Allen and Darrin Walls, all providing semi-capable replacement level talent should any of the top three corners or starting safeties get injured in the upcoming season.
All things considered, while the Jets offense still figures to be a work in progress in 2015, the defense has been vastly improved even before the NFL draft. A pair of shut down corners, above average safeties, and an elite defensive line should give the Jets at least a top-ten defense this season.
