Getty Washington cornerback Trent McDuffie taking a brief moment to enjoy the moment during a college football game.
What the New York Jets will do at the cornerback position this offseason has been a major debate point.
Some believe they can fill the remaining voids with minimal additions while others have argued they need to acquire a true No. 1 cornerback.
The debate was seemingly settled on Friday, February 25 when an insider dropped a major bombshell.
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Some Fascinating Insight
Jets reporter DJ Bien-Aime of the New York Daily News joined Joe Caporoso on the Badlands podcast to shed some light on the latest news coming out of the rumor mill.
The biggest nugget Bien-Aime shared came from a high ranking team source that revealed their offseason hopes and plans:
“A guy just told me that I want to use a top-10 pick, they told me premium asset but it could be that or free agent money to get a No. 1 legitimate cornerback because that expands what we can do defensively.”
A high ranking #Jets source told @Djbienaime that they really want to use a ‘premium asset’ on a ‘No. 1 legitimate cornerback’ this offseason whether that’s a top-10 pick or free agency dollars + also the Bryce Hall anecdote is jarring: 🎙 Badlands w/ @JCaporoso #TakeFlight #NFL
Bien-Aime doubled down on this information by saying, “when I talk to someone in the building it isn’t the security guard at the gate or the chef, I’m talking about people who have an influence on the decisions that should be made.”
Gang Green has eight cornerbacks listed on the roster, but they lack star power and proven starting experience.
Who the Heck Could That Be?
A “true No. 1 legitimate cornerback” can come in many different forms.
The upcoming 2022 NFL draft has guys like Derek Stingley Jr out of LSU, Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Gardner out of Cincinnati, and Trent McDuffie out of Washington.
Or coming up in just a few short weeks will be the opening of free agency and JC Jackson of the New England Patriots is expected to reach the open market.
There are also guys like Carlton Davis of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Darious Williams of the Los Angeles Rams.
There are plenty of opportunities for the Jets to find that top cornerback. Fans will remember what kind of impact having a guy like that on the roster can have on the rest of the defense and quite frankly the rest of the team.
Here is @richeisen inducting @nyjets legend Darrelle Revis (@Revis24) into the @ProFootballHOF on @EAMaddenNFL. A really cool video package on his 11-year pro career + he is officially eligible in the class of 2023: #Jets #TakeFlight #NFL
Darrelle Revis is a very unique example, but one from recent memory that can paint a good picture. He would routinely take away the opposing team’s No. 1 wide receiver making it a 10-on-10 football game instead.
That provided the rest of the Jets defense so much flexibility with what they could call and how they could operate.
In the reverse sense, because the Jets cornerbacks were so inexperienced last season, the defensive coaching staff had to protect them in a lot of different ways which made things more difficult.
Adding a top cornerback this offseason will allow every other cornerback on the depth chart to slide down one peg, thus increasing the overall unit.
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