| Player | Exper in '23 | GP-GS-DNP-IA | D-ST-Tot Snaps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Whitehead | 6th | 17 - 17 - 0 - 0 | 1078 - 0 - 1078 |
| Tony Adams | 2nd | 15 - 15 - 0 - 2 | 879 - 39 - 918 |
| Ashtyn Davis | 4th | 14 - 0 - 0 - 3 | 217 - 396 - 613 |
| Adrian Amos | 9th | 11 - 3 - 0 - 0 | 265 - 195 - 460 |
| Jarrick Bernard-Converse (DB) | R | 8 - 0 - 0 - 3 | 4 - 101 - 105 |
Finished Season on IR: Chuck Clark
No Longer with Jets: Amos
POTENTIAL FREE AGENTS IN '24
Unrestricted: Clark, Davis, Whitehead
Lay of the Land in '24
The Jets tied for 8th in the NFL last season with 17 interceptions. Ten of those 17 INTs (59%) were hauled in by three safeties -- Jordan Whitehead (4), Tony Adams (3) and Ashytn Davis (3).
General manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh will also need to sort out the free-agent situation in the room. Whitehead, Davis and Chuck Clark will all have expiring contracts and could become unrestricted free agents. Clark, who was acquired in an offseason trade with Baltimore (for a seventh-round draft pick in April), sustained a torn ACL during OTAs after not having missed a snap over his previous two-plus seasons. To replace Clark, the Jets quickly signed veteran Adrian Amos, who played in 11 games before being released in early December.
At present Adams, an undrafted free agent signed after the 2022 NFL Draft, and Jarrick Bernard-Converse, who was active for eight games his rookie year, are the only safeties currently under contract with the Green & White. In 15 games, Adams was fourth on the defense in total tackles with 83 (55 solo). He was particularly ferocious against the run.
"I love it," he said. "It's like no other feeling, you see an alley, you see a back running through and it's just you or him. He can't go nowhere, and you can't run and hide. Just that contact gives me a different type of adrenaline rush."
Adams, speaking about the group, added: "They mean a lot to me. They are my brothers and I would take this safety group over any in the league. Whitehead went from hard hitter to ballhawk. Davis, all he does is make plays. Clark has been working his butt off to come back here."
See the best photos of the Jets safeties during the 2023 season.
Quick Look Back at '23
Jordan Whitehead -- and the Jets -- began the season with a bang when he nabbed 3 interceptions of Buffalo QB Josh Allen in the Week 1 (Sept. 11) OT win over the Bills.
Ashtyn Davis, who appeared in all 17 regular-season games, began the season playing primarily on special teams while backing up Tony Adams and Whitehead. He did not play more than five snaps in any game through the first five weeks.
That changed -- in a big way – down the stretch.
"It is funny, all Ashtyn does is find the ball," HC Robert Saleh said late in the season. "I am a big fan of his. He has done nothing but work. He was a valuable and very underrated piece of this defense. The way he goes about his business and the way he works, that play embodies everything that he represents for this defense."
Davis logged 6 takeaways (3 interceptions, 3 opponents' fumbles recovered) in 607 total plays (defensive and special teams snaps combined). He led the Jets in total takeaways, with Whitehead second with 4 TAs on 1,029 snaps.
The safety grades from Pro Football Focus were in the middling range: Whitehead (minimum 980 snaps) was No. 13 with a 68.1 defense grade and No. 11 with a 68.9 coverage grade; Adams (min. 850 snaps) was No. 20 with a 68.0 defense grade and No. 24 with a 65.2 coverage grade; and Davis (min. 200 snaps) was No. 18 with a 74.2 defense grade and No. 13 with a 77.9 coverage grade.
Saleh, speaking again about Davis, added: "We feel like we have already upped his play time this year and he has earned it. He has earned his right to be on the football field. He is forcing his way on the field. [DC Jeff] Ulbrich is very comfortable getting big nickel out there because Ashtyn fits up. He can run all the zones. He can play man coverage. He understands run fits. He understands all the blitzes. He understands everything. We are kind of spoiled in that Ashtyn is playing at such a high level that we are able to use him accordingly."
Safeties Trivia
Jordan Whitehead got the season off on the right foot for himself and the Green & White safety position with three interceptions of Josh Allen in the Jets' opening-night overtime victory over the Bills. Whitehead was the first Jets defender with three INTs in a game since CB Ty Law had three picks vs. Buffalo in the 2005 season finale and the first Jets safety with a trifecta since Erik McMillan did the same against Dan Marino and the Dolphins at Miami in 1988.
