7 NY Jets players who should make the Pro Bowl this season

The NY Jets may not be finding the success they hoped they would find this season, but that doesn't mean there aren't a number of standout players on this roster.

Sure, the majority of those players come on the defensive side of the ball, but the Jets' offensive woes aren't a reason to ignore some truly remarkable seasons being put together by the team's defensive players.

And with Pro Bowl voting officially open, it seems like an appropriate time to highlight some of the most impressive players on the Jets' roster this season. The following seven players are all deserving of Pro Bowl consideration this year.

7. Greg Zuerlein, K, NY Jets

While the Jets' offense may be a disaster, the team's defense and special teams have mostly picked up where they left off last season. That remains true for kicker Greg Zuerlein.

After years of turnover at the position, the Jets seem to have finally found a reliable kicker in Zuerlein. The former Los Angeles Rams kicker has connected on 22-of-23 field goals this season and 7-of-8 extra point tries.

Zuerlein's only missed field goal came all the way back in Week 5 when he wasn't able to connect on a 52-yarder. Aside from that, he's been pretty much perfect this season.

Zuerlein is the only kicker in the NFL to attempt at least eight field goals between 40 and 49 yards and not miss any of them. By all accounts, he's been one of the best kickers in the league this season. He deserves to be in the Pro Bowl conversation.

6. Thomas Morstead, P, NY Jets

Speaking of impressive Jets specialists, Thomas Morstead deserves some recognition. Morstead has been arguably the signing of the offseason for the Jets, as he's helped stabilize a position that gave the team trouble in recent years.

Morstead ranks third among all punters with 20 fair catches forced as compared to only five touchbacks. Only three punters in the NFL have downed more punts inside the 20-yard line, which is especially impressive given his team's perpetually awful field position.

Take Pro Football Focus grades for what they're worth, but it's also notable that Morstead is PFF's fifth-highest-graded punter this season. The only AFC punter with a higher grade is A.J. Cole of the Las Vegas Raiders.

The entire Jets punt coverage team deserves credit for their efforts this season, and if he hadn't gotten injured, Justin Hardee would likely be on this list as well. Instead, it would be nice to see Morstead appear in his first Pro Bowl in over a decade.

5. Quinnen Williams, DT, NY Jets

Quinnen Williams may not be putting up the gaudy sack numbers that he did last season, but make no mistake about it — he has been every bit as dominant in 2023.

Williams is PFF's third-highest-graded interior defensive lineman behind only Dexter Lawrence and Jalen Carter. His 90.4 PFF run-defense grade is almost three points higher than any other player. Only three players even grade out above a 78.0.

Williams ranks sixth among interior linemen in total pressures, fifth in QB hurries, and fourth in run stops. There are few defensive tackles playing at the level Williams is right now.

Receiving a Pro Bowl nod might be tricky this season given his lack of notable box score stats, but Williams absolutely deserves to return to the NFL's annual all-star game in 2024.

4. D.J. Reed, CB, NY Jets

The Jets have the best cornerback duo in the NFL. What was once a genuine debate across the league has simply become a reality at this point. No duo touches the Jets' tandem of Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed.

While Gardner receives the majority of the press, Reed deserves his own recognition. The 27-year-old ranks sixth among qualified cornerbacks with a stellar 86.1 PFF coverage grade.

Reed has the fourth-fewest targets among all qualified cornerbacks and has allowed just 25 catches for 248 yards this season. He's been every bit as shutdown as Gardner has been this season.

Unfortunately, because he is so often overshadowed by his younger teammate, it might be difficult for Reed to receive a Pro Bowl nod. But there's no denying that he's worthy of the honor.

3. C.J. Mosley, LB, NY Jets

C.J. Mosley is one of the most successful and accomplished linebackers of his generation, and it just so happens that he might be putting together the best season of his entire NFL career in 2023.

Mosley has quietly been one of the best linebackers in football this season. His 86.3 PFF grade ranks sixth among qualified linebackers, while his 88.2 PFF coverage grade ranks third behind only Roquan Smith and one of his teammates (more on him in a moment).

Mosley also ranks sixth among linebackers with 43 run stops. He's been one of the best run-stopping and best coverage linebackers in football.

Mosley is the heart and soul of one of the best defensive units in the NFL. If he was able to earn second-team All-Pro honors for his performance last season, Mosley should be a lock for his sixth career Pro Bowl in 2023.

2. Quincy Williams, LB, NY Jets

The only reason more people aren't talking about C.J. Mosley's standout season is because of what Quincy Williams has done in 2023. If there was an NFL equivalent of the NBA's Most Improved Player Award, Williams would be the runaway favorite.

The former second-round pick has transformed from arguably a fringe starter to one of the best linebackers in the NFL this season. In fact, you could argue he's been the best player on the Jets' roster.

Williams leads all qualified linebackers with a PFF coverage grade of 90.5 and also leads his position with a whopping 56 run stops — no other player has more than 48.

Williams has arguably been the NFL's best coverage and run-stopping linebacker this season. It would be a crime if he didn't receive Pro Bowl honors for his efforts this year.

1. Sauce Gardner, CB, NY Jets

Ignore any talk of a "down year" — Sauce Gardner is still the best player on this Jets roster, and you can very easily argue that he remains the best cornerback in the entire NFL.

Gardner may not be quite as dominant as his historic rookie season, but he still ranks among the league leaders in virtually every metric. Gardner's 87.8 PFF coverage grade ranks fourth-best among qualified cornerbacks.

He's allowed just 24 catches for 224 yards this season despite being targeted at a higher clip than last season. There aren't five cornerbacks in the NFL better than Gardner right now.

Sure, you'd love to see him clean up some of the missed tackles, and he probably has 2-3 dropped interceptions this season, but Gardner is every bit as dominant as any player on the roster. He should and likely will make the Pro Bowl again.