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Who are you even going to get anyway?
Robert Saleh was asked last week if the Jets are going to bring in a veteran cornerback.
“Right now the focus is on the guy’s we have,” said Saleh. “We are excited about the group we have. We really are. We are excited to work with them. We will cross that bridge with veterans when we get there, but right now the soul focus is on our guys.”
Also, Saleh feels a veteran would take valuable reps away from the young corners.
“The easy answer it bring in a veteran, but a veteran will just eat up reps and not give us the ability to look at all these young who are just starving for an opportunity, so we have, and a lot of opportunities to showcase who they are and what they are capable of and other coaching side we have a lot time to help these young men get better and see if we can find one or two,” Saleh said.
But aside from getting the young guys reps, let’s be honest, who are you going to get at this point?
Starting quality cornerbacks get grabbed real early in free agency. The league has a major shortage of top-shelf corners. There are some corners who keep getting signed, and you wonder why, when you watch their film. The reason is the shortage. Remember, when the Jets got those three corners from Indianapolis in 2019-20, and none of them worked out. Colts GM Chris Ballard is no fool. He’s not letting guys leave at that position who he’s thrilled with. All those corners are no longer with the Jets.
So even if the Jets have concerns with their current cornerback situation, where are they going to turn at this point?
Some will say Richard Sherman, but he’s 33-years-old, coming off a season he played just five games due to a calf injury. He blew out his achilles in 2017. And this is a player who wasn’t that fast when he entered the league in 2011, and slipped to Seattle in the fifth-round due to a poor 40 time (4.54). So what do you think he runs now after a decade in the league and some leg injuries over the years?
Plus, he clearly wants to sign with a contender, with San Francisco, Seattle and Pittsburgh as possibilities. Not sure if the rebuilding Jets are what he’s looking for at this point.
Perhaps Brian Poole. The Jets’ nickel back the last couple of year is still a free agent, after ending last year with some serious injuries, so he would need to pass a physical. The injuries are probably why he’s still on the street.
So for now, the Jets will focus on their young corners, like Bryce Hall and Bless Austin (the two current starters), and draft picks like Jason Pinnock, Michael Carter II and Brandon Echols. They also have an undrafted free agent corner, Isaiah Dunn, they like quite a bit.
“They have great mental demeanor, they have great intent, they want to learn, they want to do good and we have a lot of time,” Saleh said.
And Deion Sanders and Champ Bailey-types aren’t sitting at home waiting for a call.
One thing to keep an eye on is the waiver-wire at the final cuts this summer to see who San Francisco cuts. The 49ers are deep at corner, and somebody decent could get released, and the Jets could pounce on that guy, who will come in already knowing their system.
May 31, 2021
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*Photo courtesy of New York Jets.
