The Jets have re-signed unrestricted free agent cornerback Arthur Maulet.
Maulet (5'10", 190), entering his fourth pro season, came to the Jets in January 2019 on a reserve/futures contract after beginning his career as an unsigned free agent out of Memphis with New Orleans after the 2017 draft. He also spent two months with Indianapolis in the 2018 season.
As a Jet, his playing time grew as the season went on. He played mostly special teams in the first five games. His big play in that span was his end zone recovery of a muffed punt for a touchdown at New England.
After spending two games on the Jets' practice squad, he returned to the active roster to start six of the last eight games and averaged 57 defensive snaps/game, beginning with the three-game November win streak. He missed only Games 13-14 when he sat out with a calf injury. (It may be coincidence, but in his six starts, the Jets went 5-1.)
Besides playing time for a banged-up secondary, Maulet had good production in other areas during his most extended PT as a pro. He had a 10-tackle game in the win over Oakland, with three of the tackles coming for loss (on rushes and receptions) — the most TFLs in a game by a Jets DB in the last two decades.
He also nabbed his first pro interception in the season finale at Buffalo, picking off Matt Barkley at the Jets 45 with a little more than five minutes to play to help seal the Green & White's 13-6 verdict.
For the season, Maulet posted 41 tackles, 4.5 for loss, and three PDs along with his INT and special-teams FR TD.
"We're close, man. It's just the little things that we have to fine-tune and we see it," Maulet told newyorkjets.com's Ethan Greenberg at the end of the season. "I feel like we're close, we have a camaraderie. The team is going to get better. And in 2020, my goal is to get better than I was this year. That's the only thing."
Now the player and the secondary will get to continue their improvement for the coming season together.
