Who will the New York Jets turn to at cornerback if D.J. Reed leaves in free agency?
New York still has Pro Bowl CB Sauce Gardner under contract for one more year, but Gardner’s partner in the secondary, Reed, may be headed out of town. One recent report links Reed to the Detroit Lions.
According to a new idea from Jets X-Factor’s Michael Nania, Jets GM Darren Mougey could replace Reed at corner with a 25-year-old former first-round pick who is also a free agent: Eric Stokes of the Green Bay Packers.
“D.J. Reed will hit free agency and is widely viewed as the top cornerback on the market, so he may demand a contract that is too rich for the Jets’ liking,” Nania said on Tuesday.
“New York will have a starting spot to fill on the outside across from Sauce Gardner. The Jets have in-house options in Qwan’tez Stiggers and Jarrick Bernard-Converse, although they were late-round picks and have yet to show much in the NFL.”
“New York would be wise to fill this spot with a veteran who can be relied upon to start.”
“When evaluating prospective cornerbacks for Steve Wilks’ defense, zone coverage skills are the top priority. …Green Bay’s Eric Stokes stands out as an appealing candidate. ... Stokes started his career with a solid rookie season, but injuries plagued his second and third seasons. Stokes played only 12 games from 2022-23 and mostly struggled. The Packers declined his fifth-year option for the 2025 season.”
“In 2024, Stokes stayed healthy for all 17 games … (and) excelled in zone coverage, earning an 80.3 zone coverage grade at Pro Football Focus … The most noteworthy aspect of Stokes’ game was his ability to prevent YAC, which is essential in a zone scheme.”
“It is likely that his cost will be low due to his injury history, man coverage woes, and lack of takeaways (one career INT). However, in Wilks’ zone-heavy scheme, his strengths would be emphasized, potentially giving New York a solid starter for an affordable price.”
Stokes was selected at No. 29 overall by the Packers in the 2021 draft. He played college football for Georgia, where he was named First-team All-SEC in 2020.
