July 3, 2024

There is no other word to describe the New York Jets cornerback situation right now than perfect, the Jets are highlighted as the best cornerback duo in the league with DJ Reed and Sauce Gardner and the best slot cornerback in the league, Michael Carter II.

The cornerback 1 for the Jets is also the cornerback 1 in the NFL, Sauce Gardner. The 2x Pro Bowler, 2x first team All-Pro and 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year has been nothing short of dominant since he entered the league in 2022. There's a possibility you can go on for days listing off the incredible stats and accomplishments Sauce holds but to keep it short and simple, Sauce has gone 68 straight targets without a touchdown which is the longest streak in the NFL, 88.6 PFF grade in 2023 and a 87.9 in 2022, most pass deflections in 2022 with 20, the first cornerback to make first team All-Pro his first 2 seasons, and first rookie DB to be named first team All-Pro since 1981. The All-Pro dominated 2023 like has in the past allowing 3.18 targets per game, 15.6 yards allowed per game and 76.5 passer rating allowed and primed for another outstanding year in 2024.

The second cornerback is DJ Reed when matched with Sauce they become the best CB duo in the league. In 2022, DJ Reed signed a 3 year $33 million deal and ever since that deal he has been a lock down corner and one of the most underrated players in the league. With a PFF grade of 77.9 DJ Reed was ranked 17th in the NFL in 2023, and in 2022 DJ put up a 77.5 PFF grade with 10 pass breakups.

In the slot is 4th year player Michael Carter II who is without a doubt the best slot cornerback in the National Football League. When the Jets selected Carter in the 5th round of the draft in 2021 he was expected to be a depth piece for the Jets but he has been everything but a depth piece, he has been a star. In his breakout year in 2023 Carter allowed 195 yards, 25 receptions, 0.54 yards per snap, 14.4 snaps per reception, 1 penalty, and a PFF coverage grade of 83.3 and where do all those stats rank among slot cornerbacks in the NFL - first. Now in 2024 defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has the dream slot cornerback to fit next to his CB1 and CB2 duo.

The list of cornerbacks doesn’t stop there, the Jets have some incredible depth at the cornerback position which has won them some games, most notably being against the Eagles in 2023 when DJ Reed and Sauce were both out. The main depth piece of the Jets is Kentucky product Brandin Echols, Brandin has gone streaks of over 160 man coverage snaps without allowing a TD, he took an interception to the endzone this past season and a 2021 Week 15 Rookie of the Week award under his belt. A second main depth piece for the Jets is rookie corner Qwan'tez Stiggers who they drafted in this past year's draft. Stiggers is one of only 3 players to be drafted to the NFL who never played in college, Stiggers instead played for the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League where he was the first DB in 25 years to win Rookie of the Year. 

Overall the cornerback position has proven time and time again that it is the most safe and secure position for the Jets and in 2024 it is the best it has ever been.