5 under-the-radar fits for the NY Jets in 2022 free agency

4. NY Jets target: Jason Verrett, CB, San Francisco 49ers

Despite the Jets promising youth at cornerback, the team will be in the market for cornerback help in the draft and free agency. Despite the promise shown by the Jets neophyte draft class in 2021, the bottom line is that the team finished near the bottom of the league in pass defense.

There are several different reasons for that, but in a pass-heavy league and a conference loaded with superstar quarterbacks, there's no such thing as having too many options at cornerback. 

Supposing that the Jets decide to go the veteran route in free agency and don't want to break the bank for a top-flight option, they could take a flyer on Jason Verrett. Albeit that could end up being a very risky solution, considering Verrett's extended history of injuries.

But perhaps that's the point.

Because of the red flag nature of his availability, Verrett won't cost the Jets a lot of cap space, and the reward might outweigh the risk. After all, Verrett isn't likely to command anything beyond a one-year deal with incentives. The Jets can sweeten the pot because of their cap space to land his services.

The 30-year old Jason Verrett has experience with Robert Saleh and the Jets defense. Verrett has only played one healthy season in recent years, and that was in 2020 when Robert Saleh saw first-hand how good of a cover cornerback he can be playing in his system.

It's possible that, based on his history, Verrett never stays healthy. And even if he does moving forward, the number of injuries he has suffered throughout his career might diminish his skill set. 

However, when you are a team like the Jets that hasn't been a contender for years, you need to be open-minded about exhausting different avenues to improve your team. Jason Verrett, when healthy, is a top-flight corner, and he is a fit for the Jets system and locker room.

New York has done a lot of losing in recent years; if a player like Verrett doesn't pan out, the team won't be any worse for wear. He's worth consideration given the cost.