Getty New York Jets cornerback Jimmy Moreland with Washington in 2019.
It feels like the New York Jets roster is deeper than it’s been in a long time and that’s a credit to general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh.
Unfortunately, the more you build out your reserves, the more others come knocking — or in this case, poaching.
That’s become the NFL term for when you steal a player from someone else’s practice squad. In 2022, there’s no protection against it so long as an active roster spot is offered, and an NFL insider thinks the Jets have the perfect poach candidate for the San Francisco 49ers.
Lombardo Links Jets’ Jimmy Moreland to 49ers
The 49ers have been hit hard on the injury front this season and they could really use some veteran help at cornerback after losing Jason Verrett and Emmanuel Moseley. The latter just suffered a season-ending ACL tear and many believe San Francisco will be looking around for a potential replacement.
During a mailbag column with Heavy on NFL, a Niners fan asked insider Matt Lombardo for some names worth watching and Jets veteran Jimmy Moreland came up as a potential practice squad option.
“Two veterans currently on practice squads would be ideal fits for DeMeco Ryans’ scheme and could be easily poached in the coming days,” voiced Lombardo. “Corn Elder, currently on the Washington Commanders’ practice squad… could be a plug-and-play starter in San Francisco. Likewise, Jimmy Moreland, on the New York Jets practice squad, still has plenty of upside to contribute to San Francisco’s secondary.”
Gang Green first hosted Moreland on a tryout in early September before signing him on September 14. Right now, he’s currently serving as a reserve nickel corner behind Michael Carter II after the Jets lost Javelin Guidry on waivers.
A former seventh-round draft pick with Washington, Moreland works best in the slot but he is versatile enough to sub in elsewhere in a pinch. Moreland has started 10 games and appeared in 37. He’s only managed one interception during his three-year tenure, although the DB has broken up five passes with a career catch percentage allowed of 75.7% on Pro Football Focus.
“Whether it is a blockbuster trade for someone like [William] Jackson, or a practice squad poaching, it wouldn’t be the least bit surprising to see San Francisco add a cornerback in the near future,” Lombardo concluded.
Cornerback Has Gone From Jets’ Weakness to Greatest Strength
When Douglas and Saleh added D.J. Reed Jr. and Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner over the offseason after drafting Carter, Brandin Echols and Jason Pinnock the year before, it was a clear sign that the Jets were attempting to stifle the opposition in the passing game.
So far, it’s worked magnificently as the NYJ defense ranks top 10 in the NFL in passing yards allowed through five weeks. If you break that down further by position, the Jets’ cornerbacks have only given up 429 yards out of their 1,087-yard total.
As a whole, the secondary and coverage unit has also gotten better as they’ve developed more chemistry — coming off their best two weeks of the season against Pittsburgh and Miami with sub-200 yardage totals of 178 and 158 the past two games. They have forced five interceptions during that two-week span.
Although Gardner has been spectacular for a rookie, the star of this cornerback crew so far has been Reed. The free-agent acquisition has only allowed 88 yards and an absurd reception rate of 47.8% through five starts. That’s yielded an NFL passer rating of 39.8 when targeted according to Pro Football Focus.
Having said all that, Carter has been the weak link so far with a team-leading 189 yards allowed in the slot. While the franchise could probably afford to lose a depth piece like Moreland with Echols, Bryce Hall, or safeties Will Parks and Ashtyn Davis available to cover that role, it wouldn’t be ideal to have him stolen away considering his experience playing nickel.