Getty New York Jets safety Lamarcus Joyner working through a drill during training camp.
Technically the legal tampering period doesn’t begin until March 14 and the new league year isn’t until March 16, but the New York Jets are getting a head start.
On Thursday, March 10 it was announced that veteran defensive back Lamarcus Joyner was re-signing with the Jets on a one-year deal.
Sunny Shah, Joyner’s agent, was the first to share the news on social media saying, there is some “unfinished business.”
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Getting Some Much Needed Answers at Safety
Heading into free agency, the safety position was looking pretty barren for the Jets.
Both starters from Week 1 were scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency in Marcus Maye and the aforementioned Joyner.
Now they have brought one key piece back to the fold.
The 31-year-old defensive back originally signed a one-year deal with the Jets back in March of last year. Throughout the offseason, he was running as the starter in the secondary but unfortunately suffered a torn triceps in the season opener versus the Carolina Panthers.
Now he will have a chance at redemption at a minimum as a depth piece, but at this point has a clear path to a starting gig prior to free agency and the 2022 NFL draft.
Joyner has played for three different NFL franchises in his career highlighted by his time with the Los Angeles Rams as a starter in the Super Bowl.
During his eight-year professional career, Joyner has been versatile and productive:
- 33 pass deflections
- 421 total tackles
- 21 tackles for loss
- Over 96 games played
The Jets also announced that they had re-signed veteran Will Parks.
All a Part of the Master Plan
Who the heck knows what is going to happen in free agency, let alone the NFL draft at the end of April.
With that in mind, the Jets have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
Bringing guys back like Parks and Joyner protects the team.
As Connor Rogers noted on Twitter this move made a lot of sense. Joyner fits the “budget veteran” role. If your draft pick isn’t “ready right away” then Joyner is more than capable of starting some games and holding down the fort.
Although these two depth moves don’t prohibit the Jets from going all out on the position.
Connor Hughes of The Athletic confirmed that on Twitter:
Ashtyn Davis, Jason Pinnock, Jovante Moffatt,
Kai Nacua and Zane Lewis were the only safeties on the roster when Joe Douglas woke up today.
Retaining Lamarcus Joyner & Will Parks was important.
It will not stop #NYJ from pursuing Marcus Williams & other notable free agents
They still have the financial flexibility to attack a top-of-the-market option in free agency, if they see fit. On top of that, they also have draft ammunition to get crazy on the first two days of the draft to add some premium talent.
These moves won’t win headlines, but they fortify depth and add some much-needed veteran juice on what has been one of the youngest rosters in football. Expect to see a few more players retained over the weekend.
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