Getty Former Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons reacting after an NFL game.
For those who have been holding their breath for a potential safety addition to the New York Jets roster, you can stop.
Rich Cimini of ESPN said in a column posted on Thursday, June 6 that the green and white “are rolling” with their current group. Despite some big-name veterans being available at this stage of the offseason like Justin Simmons and Quandre Diggs who Cimini mentioned, NY appears satisfied with where they are at.
One of the Big Questions of the Offseason for the Jets
The green and white defense is attempting to make history in 2024.
Over the last two seasons, they have finished with a top-five defense. The Jets have a chance for a threepeat which according to Cimini has only happened one time in franchise history in the modern era. Rex Ryan accomplished that feat from 2009-11.
One of the big questions the Jets face as they attempt to make that happen is whether or not they made a mistake “not adding a proven safety to replace [Jordan] Whitehead,” Cimini said.
The three mainstays for the Jets are Chuck Clark, Ashtyn Davis, and Tony Adams. There are two spots up for grabs and three legitimate players competing for those gigs.
Clark is coming off of a torn ACL. Davis has been primarily used as a role player during his career. Adams just became a full-time starter for the first time this past season.
This group has a lot more questions than answers at this point.
In addition to those names, they also have rookie Jaylen Key, second-year player Jarrick Bernard-Converse, and Isaiah Oliver competing for roles.
Key was this year’s Mr. Irrelvant, JBC missed the majority of 2023 due to injury issues, and Oliver is a longtime NFL corner who just converted to safety this offseason.
Again a lot more questions than answers.
The Losses for the Jets on Defense This Offseason
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report said the Jets are “going to miss” Whitehead.
“He left in free agency after starting every game over the last two seasons, posting six interceptions and 17 passes defended,” Ballentine explained.
For as good as the Jets’ defense was last year, this offseason they lost their interception leader (Whitehead; 4 interceptions) and sack leader (Bryce Huff; 10 sacks) from 2023.
It’s hard to deny that level of production. However, the Jets swapped Huff out for Haason Reddick. Reddick has proven to be by far the better player at this stage of their careers, but the real hiccup could be if contract issues creep up.
The veteran pass rusher has skipped out on the voluntary portion of OTAs so far this offseason, but next week is a three-day mandatory minicamp. Head coach Robert Saleh told the media that he expects Reddick to be in attendance. If he doesn’t show up, the team can fine him.
There are less clear answers in terms of the Whitehead replacement plan for the Jets. During his two-year tenure with the team, he was often criticized for his inconsistent tackling. However, the takeaways provided some extra juice.
New York will have to rely upon either Davis becoming a full-time player or Clark returning to his pre-torn ACL form.