PFF ranked the cornerback corps in the NFL. The Jets did not fare very well.
18. New York Jets
Top CBs: Darrelle Revis, Buster Skrine, Marcus Williams
Key stat: Revis recorded a a 56.5 passer rating allowed in 2015, third-best mark in the NFL.
The Jets went all-in on cornerbacks last offseason, but did it really pay off? Darrelle Revis put in a strong season, if not his absolute best, but Antonio Cromartie and Buster Skrine surrendered more than 700 yards each, a combined 10 touchdowns, and passer ratings of over 100.0. Question marks abound behind Revis as we head towards the 2016 season—can Skrine step up to be the second corner? What can they get from Dee Milliner? More questions than answers at corner for the Jets.
The Jets have a couple of question marks at the position entering 2016.
The first is what they will get out of Revis. Number 24 declined from arguably the top cornerback in the league to merely a good number one corner. How much of that was due to his wrist injury preventing him from jamming players at the line? How much was due to aging? How much more will he lose? If he stays at his 2015 form, the Jets should be in solid shape. If he shows more decline, he might be off the team by the time 2017 rolls around.
The second question mark is Marcus Williams. Williams played very well as the fourth corner in 2015. The difference between being the fourth corner and the third corner is a big one in the Jets defense. This team essentially has three starters at the position. I tend to doubt Williams is ever going to intercept passes at such a ridiculous rate again. Can he step up and have success in a bigger role?
I feel like PFF is being too hard on Skrine. I don't think he was anywhere near the liability Cromartie was. He is a player who seems better than his raw numbers typically show. Skrine has had a number of years where his success rate was good. He just sees a lot of targets because he has played with top corners.