Dane Belton is quickly becoming the Jets' biggest offseason steal

When the New York Jets signed Dane Belton over the offseason to a one-year, $4 million contract, the hope was that the team was getting a high-end depth safety and/or a low-end starter. He started the season by blowing those modest expectations out of the water.

Belton was forced to step into Minkah Fitzpatrick's do-it-all role during the Jets' Week 1 victory against the Tennessee Titans. What seemed like it could have been a stretch for his skill set — doing everything from playing in the slot, matching up against both tight ends and shifty slot receivers, blitzing, run support, and playing deep — ended up being a tour de force performance for the former New York Giant.

Week after week, Belton continued to shine, with or without Fitzpatrick by his side. His Week 5 performance might have been his best yet. Against the Cleveland Browns, he generated pressures on all four of his pass-rush opportunities, including one sack. He made five tackles with zero misses and two run stops. He played 44 snaps in coverage and wasn't targeted a single time. Talk about efficiency.

While plenty of safeties excel in one facet and struggle in another, Belton's been equally solid in coverage, run support, and as a blitzer. That's not all; in addition to his well-rounded defensive play, he also contributes on special teams, working on the kick coverage unit.

Basically, Belton has played like a star despite his bargain-basement price. He's getting more expensive by the day, but he's a guy that New York should seriously consider extending.

Dane Belton is one of the best value signings in the NFL

Jets general manager Darren Mougey's track record in free agency has been hit or miss thus far. There have been wins, for sure, but there have also been a lot of swings and misses.

But Mougey had never before hit the jackpot in the way he did when he signed Belton. Not only is the 25-year-old proving to be the second-year executive's best signing, but he's also proving to be one of the best signings in the entire league from this past offseason.

While we can't expect Mougey to hit on every affordable deal and see All-Pro performance from under-the-radar players, there are some aspects of the process that led to Belton that must be emulated moving forward.

For one, it seems clear that the executive and Aaron Glenn were in lockstep with what they saw in Belton and how he could fit into Glenn's defense.

On top of that, Belton's age matters. For a rebuilding team like the Jets, finding young, up-and-coming players who maybe weren't maximized by their former teams and can thrive in New York's scheme is imperative.

What led the Jets to Belton was a solid process, and the team needs more of that moving forward as they look to build a contender. The next step to really supercharge this thing is to find a way to keep these success stories in the fold long-term.

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