Jets 2018 Roster Countdown: Number 21 Morris Claiborne

Morris Claiborne now receives the spotlight in our Jets roster countdown.

Name: Morris Claiborne

Number: 21

Year with Jets: 2nd

Projected Role: Number two cornerback

His 2017: The Jets signed Claiborne on a cheap, one year deal to be their top cornerback. His season was up and down. Most of the ups came early. The downs came late in the season. The turning point was during his best game. He was shutting down Julio Jones in a game against the Falcons but had to leave the game due to a foot injury. He didn’t return and sat out the next week’s game. Whether it was a result of the injury lingering or not, he just didn’t seem as productive from that point on.

2018 will be a success if: Claiborne can play Antonio Cromartie to Trumaine Johnson’s Darrelle Revis. Claiborne’s level of success in his career hasn’t reached Cromartie’s peaks, but there are some similarities in how up and down the two corners can be. One of the most overstated pieces of analysis about the Jets over the offseason is that Claiborne is better suited to take number two receivers, which he can now do with Johnson in the fold, than he was taking number ones as he did a year ago. Overstated though it might be, it is true. We have reached the point in Claiborne’s career where all of the hype over his high Draft position is meaningless. He is never going to be an elite shutdown guy. He can be part of the solution for this team as a role player, however.

Odds of making the roster: Claiborne is on another one year deal, but almost all of it is guaranteed. He is a Lock (>99%).