The New York Jets had one of the best secondaries in the NFL this past season, and they even improved that unit in free agency.
On paper, anyway.
The AFC East team signed former Baltimore Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens to a three-year, $36 million deal with a plan to put him alongside star defender Sauce Gardner.
But Stephens was apparently not impressing anyone in the team's recent minicamp.
According to a report by The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt, the veteran defensive back has had some issues with finding the ball when is playing tight coverage on a wide receiver. And some may remember that is a bit of a problem that he also had with his former team.
But the one thing about this is who he has been guarding at the Jets' minicamp. Garrett Wilson is one of the better wide receivers in the entire NFL, so checking him is easier said than done.
So it is not necessarily time for Jets fans to start panicking about the state of their secondary.
With the Ravens this past season, Stephens finished with 70 total tackles, and was able to show his versatility with three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He was also able to prove that he has ball-hawk skills with 10 pass deflections.
The Jets are coming off of a season where they finished 5-12, so Stephens and the rest of the team's defense will be hoping they can help the team back to the playoffs. If he can, he will silence all of the haters that he seems to have. ... and training camp awaits as a proving ground to do just that.
