New York Jets Training Camp Preview: Secondary

As July comes near an end, NFL football moves closer and closer. In the coming days, NFL training camps will begin as teams will begin preparing for the 2015 season. For teams like the New York Jets, training camp will be extremely important as they have a new regime in place with Todd Bowles replacing Rex Ryan as head coach. The Jets are also starting to get some expectations, as they made some big upgrades to their roster, adding weapons offensively and bringing back some familiar faces on the defensive side of the ball. All of this has caused some optimism for Gang Green, making them a team to keep an eye on throughout training camp.

Also On Empire Writes Back: Who Is The Best Quarterback In Franchise History?

While there may not be many training camp battles per say, there are still plenty of things to keep an eye on. Here at Empire Writes Back we have you covered, as we will give a position by position, or unit by unit, preview leading up to training camp beginning July 29th in Florham Park, New Jersey. The seventh position we will be taking a look at will be linebacker.

Current Depth Chart:

Starters: Darrelle Revis (CB), Antonio Cromartie (CB), Marcus Gilchrist (FS), Calvin Pryor (SS)
Slot: Buster Skrine
Backups: Darrin Walls, Marcus Williams, Jaiquawn Jarrett, Antonio Allen, Dexter McDougle
Potential Cuts: Dee Milliner (PUP List), Rontez Miles, Curtis Brown

More Position Previews: Quarterback, Running Back, Tight End, Wide Receiver, Offensive Line, Defensive Line, Linebackers

The Jets turned the clock back a little bit in their secondary, bringing back the duo of Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie to lead the way. Arguably the biggest problem towards the end of Rex Ryan’s tenure was the lack of talent in the secondary, something Ryan leaned heavily on. Mike Maccagnan was not going to make that mistake with the new regime, and made sure to load up on talent.

Maccagnan didn’t stop there though, as he also brought in Buster Skrine from the Cleveland Browns. The Jets went from one of the sorriest groups of cornerbacks in the NFL to arguably the deepest in one season. The playing experience that players such as Jaiquawn Jarrett, Antonio Allen and Darrin Walls gained last season is invaluable, and should help them this season when they are called upon on sub packages.

More from Empire Writes Back

The key to this unit, at least in the early going, will be Cromartie though. He is the only one that has experience in Todd Bowles system, and it will be imperative he helps the others gain knowledge and pick up the nuances of what they will be playing. There is a lot of talent in this group, and it is up to the coaching staff to bring it all together and make it work.

In Revis and Cromartie the Jets know what they are getting; Skrine and Gilchrist are the unknowns. Both are extremely versatile, which Bowles will certainly use to his advantage. Skrine can line up all over the field, while Gilchrist is a safety but has plenty of experience playing the slot as well. That kind of versatility will come in handy when the Jets are trying to disguise their sets pre-snap.

But, the newly signed duo does not come without faults. Despite playing in the middle of the field so often, Gilchrist is not much of a playmaker; he only had five interceptions in four seasons to go with three forced fumbles and one recovery with the San Diego Chargers, relatively disappointing numbers.

More from New York Jets

Skrine also commits a lot of penalties, as ESPN Stats & Info had him at 15 last season with 11 being accepted. Only offensive tackle Demar Dotson had more in 2014.

The Jets will also be looking for a bounceback year from Calvin Pryor in his sophomore season. He was never able to fully acclimate himself to Ryan’s system as a rookie, partly because of poor play but also because of a poor scheme. Last season he spent 80 percent of his time at free safety, playing on the weakside in coverage more. This season under Bowles and with Gilchrist running with him, Pryor will be able to play more strong safety, which means he can play on the strongside and be a playmaker in the run game. That is where he is more comfortable, but to hold off the other players he will have to show improvement in the passing game as well.

Some may be surprised to see Dee Milliner on the potential cut list, but his play warrants such a label. He has been a huge bust since being selected ninth overall in 2013, missing 13 games last season because of a torn Achilles. With the added talent in the secondary, there is a chance that Milliner does not make the roster.

More From Empire Writes Back: Which Jets Made Our Top Athletes Of 2014 List?

He is signed through 2016, so there is still a chance for him. The Jets can also afford to bring him along slowly as they have many players capable of filling his role. The expectations for Milliner when he came into the league were high, but at this time, they are about as low as you could get. That could help in the long run, as Milliner can play a supporting role now instead of being the lead actor.

The added depth in the secondary has turned this unit from a laughing stock into what looks like one of the best groupings in the NFL. A lot of their success will be determined by how well they pick up on the system that Bowles is using, but as long as Revis and Cromartie are on the outside the Jets will extremely difficult to pass the ball on.

Next: Five Things That Could Keep The Jets Out Of The 2015 Playoffs

Home/New York Jets