The Jets’ defense needs to take a quantum leap in 2022-23 after finishing 32nd last year. They added a lot of new pieces this off-season to buttress that side of the ball. So how did their defense, with so many new players, look this spring?
“It is hard to tell because we are front-driven,” said Jets coach Robert Saleh.
In other words, the key to the Jets’ defense is their defensive line, and in the spring, the pass rushers can’t touch the QB, and you didn’t see them against the run, because there were no running plays. These are basically passing camps.
But since these are passing camps, you can discern some things about the team’s coverage ability. There seemed to be more plays on the ball by defensive backs this spring, compared to last.
“The windows are tighter, the communication is better,” Saleh said.
Free-agent safety addition Jordan Whitehead (Tampa Bay) showed great instincts in the spring, and made a lot of plays on the ball. First-round cornerback Sauce Gardner is another key addition who flashed.
And when you give these guys a pass rush, when real football starts, we could see even more from them.
“Now when we get the front in there, and how disruptive can we get up front, so the back end can be more aggressive, we’ll find out (more) in training camp,” Saleh said.
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