Jets rookie taking full advantage of well-deserved starting opportunity

Sitting at 0-7 and the only remaining winless team in football, it is clear that not a lot has gone right for the New York Jets so far this season. Aaron Glenn and company have a team that has issues in many areas, some of which are getting worse as the season goes on.

One area, though, that has shown improvement and is trending in the right direction over the last two games is the defense. Despite facing criticism earlier in the season, Steve Wilks' defense held the Broncos and Panthers to just 13 points in each of the past two games.

One of the biggest weaknesses and liabilities on the Jets' defense during its early-season struggles was Tony Adams.

However, since a changeover to rookie safety Malachi Moore, the Jets' secondary has improved, and Moore's play has been one of the few encouraging signs so far this season.

Malachi Moore is taking advantage of starting role for the Jets

The Jets' change at safety, switching from Tony Adams to Malachi Moore, was much needed for the defense. After weeks of Adams struggling in all areas of his game, Moore deserved a starting opportunity in which he has taken full advantage of.

In Week 7 against the Panthers, Moore had his best game yet. The Alabama product finished the game with four total tackles, including one tackle for loss and a pass defended.

Moore also tallied a 70.4 Pro Football Focus grade, which marked his second consecutive week of posting at 70.0-plus PFF grade. One of the biggest positives in Moore's game so far this season has been his play against the run.

In Sunday's loss to Carolina, the 24-year-old safety finished the game with a 73.9 run defense grade. Moore has yet to post a lower than a 65.0 run defense in a single game this season, helping him to an impressive 83.6 figure on the season.

Making the move over to Malachi Moore was obvious after the early-season struggles from Tony Adams. The fourth-year safety wasn't getting any better, and in many areas, he was actually getting worse.

In a season marked by losses, where making a run at the playoffs is not happening, the time is now to see what this team has in its young players. For Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey, the importance of hitting on day three talent in the draft is pivotal if they want to build something sustainable in Florham Park.

There has been a lot of bad this season, but young players like Moore playing well and improving as the season progresses is a good sign, even at 0-7 with a win seemingly nowhere in sight.