Jeff Ulbrich deserves some credit after a rash of criticism
Heading into the 2022 season, it was evident what the New York Jets wanted to do on defense.
After spending premium draft capital on a cornerback and edge rusher while forgoing linebacker and safety in the second round, the Jets telegraphed their desire to rush the passer and play lockdown coverage on the outside.
That plan got off to a slow start, as the team allowed three deep touchdown passes in Week 1 and followed it up with the Amari Cooper show in Week 2. All the while, the defensive line barely made a peep, especially on the edge.
However, over the last two games, the Jets have come alive. Their corners have always been there: D.J. Reed and Sauce Gardner may well be the top cornerback tandem in the NFL, yielding passer ratings of 39.8 and 62.3, respectively, and Michael Carter II isn’t too shabby in the slot, either.
But the defensive line decided to join the party, putting the last touch in place to allow this defense to truly play its game.
We’ve already waxed poetic about the game put up by Carl Lawson. As Michael Nania detailed, Lawson’s seven QB hits against the Dolphins were the most by a Jets edge since the stat was first tracked in 2006. John Franklin-Myers was close behind with five QB hits, while Bryce Huff recorded another game with a pressure rate above 25%. Quinnen Williams added six pressures.
That pressure masks some of the coverage deficiencies underneath and in the deep middle. When a quarterback doesn’t have time to throw, he can’t unload deep to his top targets, even ones as fast as Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Finding the tight end over the middle will be less effective on third-and-18.
The Jets are still not perfect. After all, they allowed 137 rushing yards at a 5.3 yards-per-carry clip against the Dolphins. They’re 28th in the NFL in third-down conversion rate allowed at 48.4%, although that’s up slightly from 51% after the first three weeks. They’re 21st in defensive DVOA, including 23rd in pass DVOA and 19th in rush DVOA.
However, the Jets are also tied for fifth in the NFL with nine takeaways. They’ve forced at least one turnover in each game they’ve played, including four interceptions against the Steelers last week.
Getting those takeaways is a staple of Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich‘s defense: they’ll allow yardage, but they believe that in the long run, the combination of pressure at the line and strong coverage on the outside will allow them opportunities at the ball. It’s one of the reasons they drafted Sauce Gardner at No. 4 overall despite having more than competent play from Bryce Hall last season: Hall has one career pick. Sauce had three in 11 games last season.
This is the Jets’ true defensive identity: they still struggle with covering tight ends. Although their run defense has held up surprisingly well as a whole, it’s shown some leaks in the past two weeks. They miss too many tackles. They’re not where they’d like to be on third down just yet.
But over the course of a game, this Jets defense will get theirs. There will be strong pass breakups from Reed and Gardner on the outside. Carl Lawson, Quinnen Williams, John Franklin-Myers, Bryce Huff, Jermaine Johnson, Sheldon Rankins, and Jacob Martin will get after the quarterback. And a whole host of Jets players will combine for takeaway opportunities. Surprisingly, despite the tackling struggles, there will be some excellent tackles made by Kwon Alexander and even Jordan Whitehead and C.J. Mosley (two of the worst tackling culprits).
Quinnen Williams actually played 70% of the defensive snaps against the Dolphins. Bryce Huff is here to stay, taking snaps from Jacob Martin to solidify the third-down defense. The Jets have finally begun to play matchups on defense, running a corner blitz in response to a Mike McDaniel offensive tendency and playing more two-high coverage and big nickel to contain the Dolphins’ explosive receivers.
Jeff Ulbrich, the much-maligned Jets defensive coordinator, deserves credit as the team’s defense takes shape. Sure, it’s early in the season, and one Aaron Rodgers matchup could obliterate all of the goodwill generated by back-to-back wins. But when something is working, you’ve got to recognize it.
After five weeks, the blueprint for the Jets’ season success on defense has been mapped. And with the talent they have at the positions that matter, it may well be a sustainable map.
