Ranking the opposing secondaries on New York Jets’ 2020 schedule

Which defenses on the New York Jets schedule have the most talent at cornerback and safety? 13. Las Vegas Raiders 2019 cornerback ranking: 21st 2019 safety ranking: 17th Projected key cornerbacks: Prince Amukamara (FA - CHI), Damon Arnette (first-round pick), Lamarcus Joyner Projected key safeties: Damarious Randall (FA - CLE), Johnathan Abraham Notable losses: CB Daryl Worley (FA - DAL), S Karl Joseph (FA - CLE) The Raiders secondary was solid against the run (boosting up their rankings above), but it was brutal in coverage, playing a huge role in the team allowing the second-highest opponent passer rating (103.8) of any team in the league. Las Vegas did not hesitate to address their needs in coverage, signing Prince Amukamara and Damarious Randall while drafting Ohio State corner Damon Arnette in the first round. 12. Arizona Cardinals 2019 cornerback ranking: 25th 2019 safety ranking: 8th Projected key cornerbacks: Patrick Peterson, Byron Murphy, Kevin Peterson Projected key safeties: Budda Baker, Jalen Thompson, Isaiah Simmons (first-round pick) Notable losses: CB Tremaine Brock (currently unsigned) Arizona allowed the highest passer rating of any team in 2019 (109.9), yielding an absurdly bad 38-to-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio. After returning from a six-game suspension, Patrick Peterson was not himself, allowing a career-worst passer rating of 104.6. With zero additions made at cornerback and the same lackluster players returning to take on key roles, Arizona could be facing another brutal season in the secondary. Budda Baker's play-making against the run is the only bright spot. He led safeties with 31 run stops in 2019. First-round pick Isaiah Simmons is an interesting wild card. The Clemson alum is a Swiss army knife that possesses the ability to play just about anywhere on the field. Perhaps the Cardinals lean towards their greatest weaknesses and use Simmons to patch up the holes in the secondary. 11. Indianapolis Colts 2019 cornerback ranking: 17th 2019 safety ranking: 10th Projected key cornerbacks: Xavier Rhodes (FA - MIN), Kenny Moore, Rock Ya-Sin Projected key safeties: Malik Hooker, Khari Willis Notable loss: S Clayton Geathers (currently unsigned) Indianapolis has a solid young core of defensive backs with Moore, Ya-Sin, Hooker, and Willis. The major wild card is Xavier Rhodes, who is coming off of a brutal season in which he allowed a career-worst passer rating of 131.1. It seems unlikely as he enters his 30s, but if Rhodes can recapture his elite play of the past, the Colts could have an excellent secondary. If not, the Colts will likely settle around the middle of the pack once again. 10. Kansas City Chiefs 2019 cornerback ranking: 7th 2019 safety ranking: 22nd Projected key cornerbacks: Bashaud Breeland, Charvarius Ward, Rashad Fenton Projected key safeties: Tyrann Mathieu, Juan Thornhill Notable loss: CB Kendall Fuller (FA - WAS) Kendall Fuller is a big loss. In the playoffs, he allowed only 25 yards over three games. Kansas City's safeties allowed the third-lowest passer rating (66.5) of any team, but they struggled with missed tackles, whiffing at the fifth-highest rate both against the pass (14.7% of opportunities) and against the run (18.9%). 9. Cleveland Browns 2019 cornerback ranking: 10th 2019 safety ranking: 28th Projected key cornerbacks: Denzel Ward, Greedy Williams, Terrance Mitchell Projected key safeties: Karl Joseph (FA - LVR), Grant Delpit (second-round pick) Notable loss: S Damarious Randall (FA - LVR) Denzel Ward is a bona fide No. 1 corner, allowing the sixth-lowest passer rating among qualified cornerbacks in 2019 (58.0) after ranking seventh in 2018 (70.7). Cleveland needs a second-year leap from Greedy Williams after he ranked at the 17th percentile among qualified cornerbacks with a Pro Football Focus coverage grade of 53.6. Cleveland's safeties were a major weakness in 2019. Heading into 2020, the position remains a weakness. Second-round pick Grant Delpit has tons of potential, but was a missed tackle machine at LSU and is likely to have growing pains in the NFL. Karl Joseph will boost the run defense but is a liability in coverage (9.4 yards per target allowed over career). 8. Los Angeles Rams 2019 cornerback ranking: 5th 2019 safety ranking: 15th Projected key cornerbacks: Jalen Ramsey, Troy Hill, Darious Williams Projected key safeties: Taylor Rapp, John Johnson Notable losses: CB Nickell Robey-Coleman (FA - PHI), S Eric Weddle (retired) Los Angeles lost a couple of key pieces in Robey-Coleman and Weddle, who ranked seventh and 20th, respectively, in fewest yards allowed per cover snap at their positions. Ramsey finished the season on a tear, allowing just 19.0 yards per game, zero touchdowns, and a 56.3 passer rating over his final five games. 7. Miami Dolphins Italicized players were added in the 2020 offseason. 2019 cornerback ranking: 26th 2019 safety ranking: 31st Projected key cornerbacks: Xavien Howard, Byron Jones (FA - DAL), Noah Igbinoghene (first-round pick) Projected key safeties: Eric Rowe, Bobby McCain Howard and Jones could form the best cornerback duo in the league. Jones allowed the fourth-fewest yards per cover snap among cornerbacks in 2019 (0.62). Howard struggled over a mere five appearances in 2019 as he battled injuries, but in 2018, he allowed the second-lowest passer rating among all corners (62.6). Miami will need elite play from that duo to bail out the safeties. That position was an enormous issue for the Dolphins, and it is currently set to feature the same players who were responsible for those struggles in 2019. 6. Seattle Seahawks 2019 cornerback ranking: 11th 2019 safety ranking: 27th Projected key cornerbacks: Shaquill Griffin, Tre Flowers, Quinton Dunbar, Ugochukwu Amadi Projected key safeties: Quandre Diggs, Bradley McDougald The Seahawks have major question marks at strong safety, CB2, and CB3, but they can rest a bit easier knowing there are a couple of studs headlining the unit. Shaquill Griffin earned PFF's ninth-best overall grade (77.0) among cornerbacks. Over his seven games with the Seahawks after being traded from Detroit, Quandre Diggs earned an 80.7 grade from PFF, sixth-best among safeties from Week 10 through the Divisional round. Dunbar brings upside after ranking fifth among qualified cornerbacks with a 56.9 passer rating allowed in 2019. However, he has had trouble with injuries (14 games missed since 2018) and is dealing with some off-field issues after an arrest warrant was issued for him in May. His 2019 season was also an extreme departure from his 2018 season, in which he allowed five touchdowns in only seven games. 5. Denver Broncos 2019 cornerback ranking: 23rd 2019 safety ranking: 4th Projected key cornerbacks: A.J. Bouye (Trade - JAX), Bryce Callahan, Isaac Yiadom Projected key safeties: Justin Simmons, Kareem Jackson Notable loss: CB Chris Harris (FA - LAC) Justin Simmons has developed into a star for Denver. He was PFF's highest-graded safety (90.7) on the strength of his excellent tackling (position-best 2.1% miss rate against the run) and lockdown coverage (32.1 passer rating allowed, lowest among qualifiers). Next to Simmons is Kareem Jackson, PFF's seventh-ranked safety in 2019 (82.3 grade). They make up one of the most dominant safety duos in the league. Denver's cornerback depth chart will look different with Chris Harris heading to L.A. and Bryce Callahan returning from injury. Callahan had a fantastic 2018 season in which he allowed a league-low 0.69 yards per cover snap in the slot, but he missed the entire 2019 season. The Broncos need A.J. Bouye to bounce back after he allowed career-worsts of 9.7 yards per target and a 103.8 passer rating. This can be the best secondary in football if Bouye and Callahan recapture their former peaks. 4. San Francisco 49ers 2019 cornerback ranking: 2nd 2019 safety ranking: 7th Projected key cornerbacks: Richard Sherman, Ahkello Witherspoon, K'Waun Williams, Emmanuel Moseley Projected key safeties: Jimmie Ward, Jaquiski Tartt With a destructive pass rush in front of him, Richard Sherman had a remarkable 2019 season in which he allowed fewer yards per cover snap (0.44) than any other qualified cornerback. The rest of the bunch did a decent enough job of handling the extra targets thrown their way because of Sherman's lockdown coverage. Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt are a solid all-around duo. They may not pop off the screen, but they do not allow many big plays through the air. San Francisco's safety group ranked second-best behind the Jets with only 0.34 yards allowed per cover snap. 3. Buffalo Bills 2019 cornerback ranking: 6th 2019 safety ranking: 3rd Projected key cornerbacks: Tre'Davious White, Josh Norman (FA - WAS), Taron Johnson, Levi Wallace, Kevin Johnson Projected key safeties: Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer Tre'Davious White has established himself as one of the league's few consistent lockdown cover men. He had a dominant 2019 season, yielding a 0-to-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio on targets in his direction. White's 46.3 passer rating allowed was second-best among all qualified cornerbacks and tops among No. 1 corners. Kevin Johnson, Taron Johnson, and Levi Wallace make up some of the best cornerback depth in the league (combined 6.9 yards per target allowed in 2019), but the addition of Josh Norman is puzzling. Norman's coverage has dwindled to an embarrassingly poor level as he has progressed into his 30s - he has allowed a league-high 16 touchdowns over the past two seasons. Hyde and Poyer are a fantastic duo, securing all levels of the field in both facets. 2. Los Angeles Chargers 2019 cornerback ranking: 9th 2019 safety ranking: 30th Projected key cornerbacks: Casey Hayward, Chris Harris (FA - DEN), Desmond King Projected key safeties: Derwin James, Rayshawn Jenkins The Chargers have the most talented secondary in the league. They just need everyone to stay healthy and for a couple of veterans to keep on thriving into their 30s. Casey Hayward has been one of the league's best cornerbacks for the entirety of his eight-year career. In 2019, he allowed the sixth-fewest yards per cover snap among qualified corners (0.71) after ranking 10th in 2018 (0.81). Chris Harris was near the top of the charts in just about every slot coverage stat on a yearly basis throughout the 2010s, but in 2019, injuries to other Broncos forced him to the outside and away from his natural slot coverage role. Harris is 31 years old, but he was still elite in 2018 (third-lowest passer rating allowed in the slot, 57.3), so he should continue dominating with the Chargers as they slide him back inside. Harris' arrival puts the future of Desmond King up in the air, who has been an elite slot man himself for the Chargers. King was PFF's No. 9 cornerback in 2017 (85.7 grade), No. 2 in 2018 (90.5), and No. 21 in 2019 (70.9). Last but most certainly not least, Derwin James is arguably the league's second-best safety behind Jamal Adams. A First-Team All-Pro as a rookie in 2018, James tied with Adams for the lead among safeties with 18 pressures that season, which was a new record for the position until Adams broke it in 2019. His coverage is stingy, with a career average of 5.5 yards per target allowed. If everything breaks right, no team has more upside in the defensive backfield than the Chargers. 1. New England Patriots 2019 cornerback ranking: 3rd 2019 safety ranking: 6th Projected key cornerbacks: Stephon Gilmore, Jason McCourty, J.C. Jackson, Jonathan Jones Projected key safeties: Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung Notable loss: S Duron Harmon (Trade - DET) It would be foolish to go with any team besides the one that led the NFL with a 62.8 passer rating allowed in 2019, about 15 points lower than any other defense. The Patriots allowed an astronomical 13-to-25 touchdown-to-interception ratio - no other team had more interceptions than touchdowns allowed, let alone 12 more. The Patriots allowed a touchdown on the lowest percentage of opponent pass attempts (2.4%) and recorded an interception on the highest percentage (4.7%). No team recorded a pass defended (interception or deflection) on a higher percentage of opponent pass attempts than the Patriots (16.6%). Bill Belichick's secondary is as well-oiled a machine as there is in the NFL - at any position on either side of the ball. J.C. Jackson allowed the lowest passer rating of any qualified cornerback (37.0). Defensive Player of the Year award winner Stephon Gilmore was not far behind, ranking fourth (47.4). Jason McCourty ranked eighth (63.3). At safety, Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung led the Patriots to the second-lowest passer rating allowed (57.7) of any safety group in the league - although Duron Harmon (no touchdowns allowed and 2 interceptions over 411 snaps in coverage) will be missed. Sam Darnold and the Jets offense could have a tough road ahead of them with a myriad of talented secondaries on the schedule. Which unit do you think will cause the most problems for the Jets?