Jets' D.J. Reed thinks defense can be 'historical' in 2023
The Jets certainly have lofty expectations in 2023. Why wouldn’t they? They won seven games last season with some of the worst quarterback play imaginable from the likes of Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco, and even Mike White. That problem is at least solved bringing in one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game […]
The Jets certainly have lofty expectations in 2023. Why wouldn’t they? They won seven games last season with some of the worst quarterback play imaginable from the likes of Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco, and even Mike White.
That problem is at least solved bringing in one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game in Aaron Rodgers. So how were they able to win seven games? In a word: defense. And a lot of it.
The Jets posted a top five defense in almost every relevant metric in 2022, except one, but more on that later. And they did it with little help from the offensive side of the ball.
Now as we enter 2023, the Jets defense is confident it can be even better this season. Just ask the most underappreciated man on the team in cornerback D.J. Reed.
"I'm very confident," Reed said Monday on a Zoom call with reporters. "I think we have the potential to be the best defense in the NFL. Honestly, I think we can be historical, not just the best defense in the league, but I think we can be a historical defense like the '85-'86 Bears and the LOB [Seahawks' Legion of Boom] in 2013. I think we can be that dominant if we just put all the things together."
Now those are high bars to set.
It didn’t stop there. “Why not speak your goals?" said defensive end John Franklin-Myers, backing up Reed's claim. "We're not afraid to sit here and go out on a limb and say we want to win the Super Bowl, or we want to be the best defense in the NFL."
The Jets certainly have a lot of talent on their defense. Watching preseason, Hard Knocks and training camp, any football amateur can see just how formidable the Jets front four will be this season. I say ‘front four’ but I mean front eight as the Jets have the ability to rotate in wave after wave of guys who disrupt offensive game plans.
At the corner position the Jets have a true number one corner in Sauce Gardner, a true 1A in D.J. Reed and a true nickleback in Michael Carter II.
The safety position and the linebacker position are where things can get a little dicey. That isn’t to say the Jets are weak at those spots, they just aren’t up to the level as the rest of the defense.
C.J. Mosely is the unquestioned leader of this defense and a sure tackler. Quincy Williams is a ferocious hitter but both guys have issues in the coverage game. The Jets have decent safeties, but nobody that should scare opposing offenses.
The Jets have one glaring weakness on the defensive: they can’t seem to take the ball away from the other team. The Jets ranked 29th last season in turnovers. They only forced 16 turnovers last year.
"That's the most telling stat in football," said Franklin-Myers, who expects significant improvement. "We understand that. That's going to take us from No. 4 to No. 1."
The Jets will certainly be a top five defense in 2023 barring injuries, but D.J. Reed might have been a little ahead of himself when he said historical. Hopefully, they won’t have to be historical this season in order to win games.
Jets spoil Bryce Young’s debut in 27-0 rout
The Jets have seen plenty of highly drafted rookie quarterbacks have their debuts spoiled, and they finally got to return the favor. The Jets held number one overall pick out of Alabama, Bryce Young to just 21 yards in 3 offensive series against the Jets defense. The defense held stout the whole game and the […]
Featured image via Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
