The New York Jets have a variety of needs but arguably none larger than their void at cornerback. Vontae Davis would be a nice way to get things started.
There’s a lot of uncertainty on 1 Jets Drive as it pertains to the depth chart at cornerback. The New York Jets have a concoction of bums, inexperience, or all of the above on their roster:
- Buster Skrine: One year left on his deal ($8.5 million). Due to the lack of depth, the Jets will likely hold onto him and he graded out really well more times than not last season.
- Juston Burris: Limited snaps defensively, but when he’s gotten in there has shown signs. Hardly someone you can feel confident in trusting, but a nice developmental piece of the equation.
- Darryl Roberts: Only has one interception in two seasons.
- Rashard Robinson: The Jets decided to be buyers instead of sellers at the trade deadline last season and the return isn’t looking great. Robinson was burned several times down the stretch and is a problem child off the field.
- Jeremy Clark: Unproven commodity as a late-round flier.
- Derrick Jones: Another unproven commodity as a late-round flier.
- Morris Claiborne (free agent): The Jets best corner is headed for free agency. With the cornerback position being such a premium, if the Jets let him hit the market the bidding war could prove too costly.
So long story short, there’s a lot of questions and very few answers at cornerback for gang green.
Although with so many avenues to fix their issues, why are Jets fans stressing out? Well, those avenues don’t start for a while. Free agency doesn’t kick off until March 14 while the NFL Draft starts in late April.
So clearly we’ve got some time to kill, Or do we?
The Jets have an opportunity to get this party started a bit early if they play their cards right. ESPN’s NFL Insider Adam Schefter revealed some more information on former Pro Bowl cornerback Vontae Davis here:
Former Colts’ Pro Bowl CB Vontae Davis, released over a medical issue in November and a free agent now, has been cleared from his core injury surgery done late in season, per source. Teams expected to have interest prior to free agency.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 12, 2018
Now the Jets should certainly be cautious when dealing with players with injury histories, like Davis. Five of his nine NFL seasons were cut short due to injury. While that’s a major concern, Davis is a Pro Bowl-level talent and a ball-hawk, with nine interceptions over the past four years. Because of his unique situation, the Jets can fill a hole before free agency even starts.
Look at how bad the Jets have been at creating interceptions over the years (2015 clearly being the outlier in this group) via ESPN Stats and Information:
- 2017: 20th (11 interceptions)
- 2016: 29th (8 interceptions)
- 2015: 5th (18 interceptions)
- 2014: 30th (6 interceptions)
- 2013: 22nd (13 interceptions)
- 2012: 23rd (11 interceptions)
Davis would be a welcome addition to the No Fly Zone. The Jets have plenty of moolah to totally revamp the team and put an end to their playoff drought.
