Jets Secondary Lands Head-Scratching Ranking

The New York Jets have arguably the best cornerback in all of football in 24-year-old Sauce Gardner.

Gardner is a two-time Pro Bowler and two-time First-Team All-Pro and is one of the team's building blocks. He even landed the No. 1 spot on Pro Football Focus' cornerback list.

"No. 1. Sauce Gardner, New York Jets," Pro Football Focus' John Kosko said. "Gardner’s 91.9 PFF coverage grade since 2022 leads the league. He has forced a league-high 46 incompletions and allowed a league-low 0.60 yards per cover snap and 21.4% first-down-plus-touchdown rate over that span.

"Unsurprisingly, Gardner's PFF advanced coverage grade ranks first, as well. While he might not shadow opposing wide receivers at a high rate, he has excelled when asked to do so."

While this is the case, the Jets' secondary ranked No. 11 on Pro Football Focus' list overall.

"No. 11. New York Jets," Pro Football Focus' John Kosko said. "The Jets entered 2024 with the NFL’s top-ranked secondary but struggled throughout the season, largely due to issues at safety and slot cornerback. They lost D.J. Reed in free agency but added Brandon Stephens and drafted Azareye’h Thomas to pair with superstar Sauce Gardner, widely regarded as the league’s best cornerback. Gardner will be the glue holding this unit together if the new additions and coaching staff can get on the same page."

The Jets lost DJ Reed this offseason, but went out and signed Brandon Stephens to replace him. New York also drafted Azareye'h Thomas in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft and he has impressed in the short stint since.