Heading into the 2024 season, the Jets have made a number of moves to improve the state of their roster and overall depth, but are they ready to compete for a playoff spot?
In this series, we will break down the depth chart for each position group. This time, we’ll delve deeper into security positions…
Projected Depth Chart
Appetizer: Tony Adams, Chuck Clark
Backups: Ashtyn Davis, Isaiah OliverJarRick Bernard-Converse
Main additions/losses: Signed Oliver in free agency. Jordan Whitehead signed with the Bucs in free agency.
Top performers in 2023: Adams 82 tackles, three interceptions.
2023 classification via PFF: Adams 43rd out of 101 qualified safeties.
What the Jets safety has going for it
Adams has established himself as a player the Jets can trust in his first year as a full-time starter. The former undrafted free agent had three interceptions, including the one that set up the game-winning score in the upset win over the Eagles.
Clark was signed to start last year, but his season ended before it began when he tore his ACL during organized team activities. The 29-year-old has re-signed and is eager to prove his worth.
Davis saw an increase in playing time last year and established himself as a hawk by intercepting three passes and recovering three fumbles. He was also a key special teams contributor.
Main concern for 2023: Will they miss Whitehead?
Whitehead was a mainstay the past two seasons, starting every game, and was a productive player who led the Jets in interceptions and racked up 97 tackles last year. Additionally, his now former teammate DJ Reed mentioned on social media how important he was to communication in high school.
Despite these positive contributions, Whitehead also made many high-profile mistakes in his two seasons with the Jets, including some blown coverages and missed tackles that led to long touchdowns. With so much talent at other positions, the Jets may prefer someone who is more reliable rather than an impact player.
Player who should rise in 2024: Adams
With Whitehead gone, it will likely be up to Adams to take on more responsibility for communication in the secondary, a task made easier by the talent the Jets have at cornerback and the constant presence of CJ Mosley anchoring the defense from the linebacker position.
Adams had a solid year last season, but he will need to replicate that in the final year of his contract to prove he can be trusted in the future.
Biggest Camp Battle: Davis vs Clark
It doesn’t appear the starting safeties have been decided yet, although Adams is expected to reprise his role. Provided he is fully recovered from his knee injury, Clark could have the upper hand at the other starting position, although Davis was clearly looking to become a starter again somewhere after his productive 2023 season.
Clark started 61 games on a solid Ravens defense between 2019 and 2022, but became expendable when they drafted Kyle Hamilton and signed Marcus Williams. The Jets expected him to step in alongside Whitehead last year before he was injured, but Adams could complement him better.
When Davis started 10 games for the Jets in 2021, he made a lot of mistakes, often due to gambling or overly aggressive attitudes. However, he seemed to have overcome that issue last year, so he could be ready to take on an even bigger role, having played over 200 snaps in 2023.
General outlook for 2024
The safety position is really the only one on the Jets defense that lacks star quality, but the Jets have affordable, opportunistic players who don’t make many big-time mistakes at this position and should fit in well and do a good job for the team.
There has been some discussion about perhaps adding another potential starter into the mix. For example, Justin Simmons has yet to sign after being released by the Broncos in March. However, the Jets may be satisfied with the current group at this point.
