New York Jets 2015 Training Camp: Grading CB

What more can you ask for in a unit that went from trash to treasure in the matter of one off season? The Jets now have three new faces at the cornerback position who make for one scary group heading into 2015. Darrelle Revis and his old partner in crime Antonio Cromartie are making the return to New York, while the addition of Buster Skrine fills a huge hole at nickel. Revis is making $70 million over the next 5 years with $35 million guaranteed, Cromartie’s 4-year $32 million contract includes only $7 million in guaranteed money, and Skrine signed a 4-year deal worth $25 million but only $13 million is guaranteed.

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With that being said, new general manager Mike Maccagnan did not put Gang Green in bad shape financially with these contracts. The Jets still of course have 2013 first-round pick Dee Milliner and 2014 third-rounder Dexter McDougle too. However, both are coming off of season-ending injuries, so it will take time before the two get back to full strength. Regardless, this unit is very special due in large part to Revis Island.

Dec 7, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) gestures after the Patriots beat the San Diego Chargers 23-14 at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Last season, Revis showed why he’s still a shut down corner and one of the best players in all of football. On ProFootballFocus.com, he ranked 3rd out of 29 cornerbacks who received at least 75% of snaps. He earned an overall grade of +17.7 to go along with an impressive +15.0 in coverage which also ranked 3rd amongst that same group. His completion percentage allowed was not as spectacular as it was in 2009 (36.9%), but he did post a 51.9% to put him 3rd in that department as well. At 30 years of age, the former 2007 first-rounder may be losing speed, but he still manages to shut down receivers with his physicality. Gang Green should expect nothing less than another tremendous season from Revis and one that will help make their defense arguably the best in the league.

Jun 9, 2015; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie (31) during New York Jets minicamp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

It’s nice to have Cromartie back in green and white, but the nine-year vet does need to improve off of a mediocre 2014 season. On PFF, he ranked 17th out of the 29 corners who received at least 75% of snaps. He received an overall grade of -0.2 and he broke even in coverage with a 0.0. Like Revis, Cromartie only allowed 2 TDs on the season which is very good to see given the fact that he’s now 31 years old.

Although, the stat he must improve on is the percentage of balls caught thrown his way (59.3% in 2014). Two years ago, Cromartie posted a 53.3% despite having one of the worst seasons in his career. He’s still one of the fastest corners in the league, therefore he’s more than capable of getting the percentage back down to where it belongs for a player like him. If he can come close to that number in 2015, New York could have the best cornerback tandem in the NFL.

Skrine may be an upgrade over Kyle Wilson, although he has plenty to prove in his first season with Gang Green. Last year, he committed a league-high 15 penalties while giving up 8 touchdowns. To be fair, he was targeted 123 times and he only allowed 56.9% of passes to be completed in his coverage, but 15 penalties is inexcusable. For a corner who will be predominately at nickel, Skrine needs to stay more disciplined no matter how fast the receiver he’s covering is.

However, what makes him a very important piece to the defense is his versatility. Skrine was the No. 2 corner in Cleveland opposite of Joe Haden and he actually played over 100 more snaps than him. In the first four weeks of the season, the Browns actually blitzed him 11 times and he recorded 3 QB hurries. Head coach Todd Bowles has himself a weapon in Skrine and it should be interesting to see how he uses him this upcoming year.

Aug 4, 2014; Cortland, NY, USA; New York Jets cornerback Dee Milliner (27) walks out to the field prior to the start of training camp at SUNY Cortland. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Milliner and McDougle are two guys that must bounce back in 2015. McDougle kicked off his NFL career with a torn ACL during training camp, so he has never truly hit the field. This season will be his first chance to earn playing time as a member of the Jets.

On the other hand, Milliner cannot stay healthy and he’s been shaky for the most part when he’s on the field. He allowed 7 TDs in 2013 while missing 9 tackles. The only true bright spots in his career thus far are Weeks 16 and 17 of that season. If the former 9th-overall selection wants to compete for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart, he simply needs to stay healthy and impress Bowles in training camp.

The other corners on the roster are Darrin Walls, Marcus Williams, Keith Lewis, Curtis Brown, and Dashaun Phillips. Williams was one of the few gems of last year making him the most valuable player of this bunch. Walls also had a decent 2014 campaign, therefore he might be the guy to compete with Williams for the last spot. It’s very unlikely the Jets keep more than six corners, so Lewis, Brown, and Phillips are all in deep water in terms of making the 53-man roster. However, given the fact that New York has been notoriously unhealthy at corner, one of the three could definitely make the practice squad when cuts have to be made.

Overall, cornerback is without question the strongest unit on this team besides the d-line. New York is deep and of course extremely talented at the position. If these guys perform to their full potential, it will be nearly impossible to throw the ball on the Jets in 2015.

Grade: A

Next: New York Jets 2015 Training Camp Profile: Bryce Petty

New York Jets 2015 Training Camp: Grading CB

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