As down as Jets fans are on the offense, and they certainly have a right to be, one look at the defense should help perk them up. Especially at the cornerback position.
The Jets completely rebuilt the cornerback position this past offseason, signing free agent D.J. Reed from the Seahawks and selecting Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner with the fourth pick of the draft in April. So far, those additions have paid huge dividends.
Of the 72 cornerbacks that have played at least 150 snaps this season, Gardner has the fourth-highest grade from Pro Football Focus at 83.9 and Reed is right behind him in 7th with a 79.3 grade. No other team can say they have two top-ten cornerbacks in that category.
And they’re not the only strong cornerback in this category. Michael Carter II has been no slouch himself, checking in at No. 15 with a 76.7 grade. The only other team with two corners in the top 15 in this scenario is New England with No. 1 Jack Jones (87.4) and No. 14 Jonathan Jones (76.9).
One more: The #Jets have three of the top 15 cornerbacks, per PFF (min. 150 snaps)
Sauce Gardner: 4th
DJ Reed: 7th
Michael Carter II: 15th— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) October 31, 2022
Gardner is also the only corner among all 72 in this group to have at least ten pass-breakups through eight weeks. Trevon Diggs and Patrick Peterson are tied for second with eight. Reed has five and Carter has two.
The Jets will definitely need the strong play of their corners to continue as this week, they welcome Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis to town as the Jets host the Bills. Oh, and some guy named Josh Allen throwing them the football. The Three Musketeers will be ready.
