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Jets able to upgrade in a strange way . . .
The Jets signed safety J.J. Wilcox.
This after it looked like he was going to sign with the San Francisco 49ers, but he reversed course, and agreed to a one-year deal with the Jets. What precipitated this move?
At the second open OTA on May 29, safety Rontez Miles was sitting out. The team isn’t required to report injuries to the media in the off-season, so know reporters knew the reason at the time. Ian Rapoport announced today that Miles suffered a torn meniscus and will be out 3-4 months.
This is a blow to the Jet’s special teams, but their defense should be fine.
Some people will write or say this hurts the Jets depth on defense. I don’t think so.
Miles is an excellent special team’s player – a kamikaze on kick and punt coverage who plays with reckless abandon. But on defense, due to no fault of his own, he struggles in pass coverage due to average speed (4.62) and stiff hips (struggles changing directions with shifty targets). It is what it is. This isn’t a judgement, it’s a fact. Like I said, totally not his fault – it’s how he’s built.
Todd Bowles had Miles as the third safety (starting this spring due to Marcus Maye’s ankle surgery). This was also the case last season. This is dubious personnel utilization. Miles should not be the Jets’ first safety off the bench, and a starter when somebody is out. One long-time Jets beat writer described Bowles as “stubborn” and this might be a case of that. Terrence Brooks (and now Wilcox) are better candidates for the third safety spot. Both run better, especially Brooks, who runs under 4.5, and had a two-pick game last year.
You will rarely see much criticism of Miles coverage issues (once again – not his fault), because Miles is such a great guy, and has overcome so much in his life, this is often glossed over in the coverage of the player.
But the point here is simple. The loss of Miles, isn’t going to hurt the Jets defense.
As far as special teams, that is another story. He’s special there. But somebody (maybe Wilcox) will emerge to fill that void.
What I’m about to say, I don’t want anybody to take it the wrong way. But the unfortunate injury to Miles (who could be a candidate to return from IR during the second half of the season), leads to an upgrade at the third safety spot.
I hate to say it, but I try to shoot straight here.
The likely only way Bowles was likely going to replace Miles as the third safety was an injury. Like the writer said, he’s “stubborn.” Miles struggled in coverage the last two years, yet was still the third safety and starter in early spring. Nothing changed.
So now with the unfortunate injury, the Jets can upgrade the coverage at their third safety spot, because it didn’t look there was any other way Bowles was going to make a change.
June 6, 2018
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