Veteran CB Marcus Cooper adds needed depth to New York Jets secondary

The New York Jets have signed veteran cornerback Marcus Cooper, which is a big boost for a thin group on the team.

Veteran cornerback Marcus Cooper, who was cut by the Detriot Lions, will come to a Jets team that is stricken with injuries at the cornerback position. Earlier this week Trumaine Johnson pulled his hamstring and will miss time.

According to Brian Costello of the New York Post, head coach Adam Gase told Costello and the rest of the media that Trumaine Johnson will be “week-to-week”.

Johnson is not the only Jets cornerback that got hurt this past week rookie cornerback Kyron Brown also has a hamstring injury and will miss time as well and on top of that, New York cut 3rd-year cornerback Derrick Jones.

The 29-year-old cornerback out of Rutgers was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 2013 and is going into his 8th season in the NFL. Over his career, Cooper has played for the Chiefs, Cardinals, Bears, and Lions.

Cooper does have a chance to come to the Jets and make an impact right away. Right now, New York’s starting secondary consists of pro bowl safety Jamal Adams, safety Marcus Maye and leading the way at the starting cornerback spots are Daryl Roberts and Brian Poole.

The Jets secondary can have one of the best safety tandems in the NFL while at the cornerback position the Jets are trying to just fill holes. With no Trumaine Johnson, the team’s best cornerback is Daryl Roberts who started 10 games for the Jets last season. Johnson can possibly still be out by Week 1 of the regular season depending on how bad his hamstring injury is by then.

If Marcus Cooper can show the coaches and fans in the next coming weeks that he can play Cooper can potentially become a starter for week 1 against Buffalo.

Cooper has had 28 career NFL starts, with 7 interceptions. Unlike some of the other cornerbacks on the Jets roster, Cooper has real game experience. However, he has not started an NFL game since 2017 when he played for Chicago but has seen playing time on special teams in his last two seasons with the Bears and Lions.