| SAFETIES (9) | Players |
|---|---|
| Jets Holdovers | Jordan Whitehead (UFA-TB, 2022), Ashtyn Davis (Round 3, 2020), Tony Adams (UDFA, 2022), Craig James (FA, 2022) |
| New Veterans | Chuck Clark (T-BAL, 2023), Adrian Amos (UFA-GB, 2023) |
| Rookie Arrivals | Jarrick Bernard-Converse (Round 6b, 2023), Trey Dean (UDFA, 2023), Marquis Waters (UDFA, 2023) |
| Departures | Lamarcus Joyner, Will Parks |
Cornerstones and Contributors
Jordan Whitehead is one of the graybeards in the deep middle for the Jets, after joining the team as an unrestricted free agent from Tampa Bay last offseason. Whitehead, a cousin of Darrelle Revis and a fellow Pitt product, started all 17 games, had two interceptions last season, one in the road win at Pittsburgh and one in the home win over Buffalo, and led the secondary with 89 tackles.
Ashtyn Davis begins his fourth season in green and white, and last year became a versatile contributor with the comeback-sealing last-minute INT at Cleveland and 278 special teams snaps in 14 games.
Tony Adams, last year's breakthrough as an undrafted free agent, flashed as a safety fill-in the last two games of the year. CB Craig James, who played for Minnesota and Philadelphia from 2018-20, spent all last season on the Jets' practice squad.
See the best photos of the Jets 2023 tight end group.
Newcomers and Outgoers
Safety got shuffled a bit this offseason. The Jets sent next year's seventh-round pick to Baltimore in a trade for Chuck Clark, who started 61 games over the past four seasons. LB C.J. Mosley said of Clark, his Ravens teammate for two years: "Some players are good at scheme, some are good at hitting and tackling. Chuck honestly is just an all-around great safety."
Clark appeared to be stepping into the lineup for Lamarcus Joyner, who went unsigned, to play alongside Whitehead. However, reports of a Clark knee injury late in OTAs may have precipitated GM Joe Douglas' acquisition of Amos, the UFA who has 10 INTs in eight pro seasons and started every game the last four seasons on the other side of the ball from Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. Will Parks was released in early June.
The Jets also used a Round 6 pick on Jarrick Bernard-Converse, who has length at 6-1 and versatility after playing both safety and corner at LSU. He's listed as a safety with the Jets, although HC Robert Saleh said, "We know he can play multiple schemes He's very, very smart, extremely instinctive, He can play corner, nickel, safety. We'll build from there." The Jets also added two UDFAs in Trey Dean from Florida and Marquis Waters out of Texas Tech.
JetSpeak
Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich: "The safety group, I'm excited about it, and I don't think you can lose TA [Adams] and some of the other guys that we have in the room. It's going to be a great competition for those two spots."
