Antonio Cromartie and Brandon Marshall were core components of the most recent New York Jets to finish with a winning record (2015). One decade later, Cromartie ranked his former teammate and longtime rival as the best wide receiver he ever matched up against.
Taking to X, Cromartie ranked his top five matchups at the wide receiver position. Marshall secured the No. 1 spot, followed by Demaryius Thomas, Chad Ochocinco, Julio Jones, and Reggie Wayne.
Antonio Cromartie’s Top 5 WR matchups
1. Brandon Marshall
As Cromartie mentions in his post, he faced off against Marshall 11 times in his career (there was a 12th meeting, but Cromartie was a backup for San Diego at the time). The former Chargers first-round pick says he “couldn’t sleep the night before” facing the 6-foot-5 beast.
Cromartie had excellent size himself, standing at 6-foot-2, and it helped him compete well against Marshall. Across 11 head-to-head matchups against Cromartie from 2006-12, Marshall caught 69 of his 117 targets (59%) for 817 yards and three touchdowns. Cromartie recorded 12 passes defended and two interceptions.
In Week 3 of the 2010 season, Cromartie and Marshall engaged in a classic AFC East duel as members of the Jets and Dolphins, respectively. While being covered by Cromartie for much of the game, Marshall snagged 10 of 17 targets for 166 yards and a touchdown. The Jets got the last laugh, though, prevailing 31-23.
The results were flipped in the December rematch. Cromartie helped limit Marshall to two catches on six targets for 16 yards (with one touchdown), but Miami secured a 10-6 win at New Meadowlands Stadium.
2. Demaryius Thomas
The late, great Demaryius Thomas is the second-leading receiver in Denver Broncos history, and Cromartie is just one of many corners who had trouble with him. Across four matchups against Cromartie, Thomas caught 16 of his 33 targets for 370 yards and three touchdowns.
Much of this production came in a Week 5 clash back in 2014, during Cromartie’s lone season with the Arizona Cardinals (playing under a DC by the name of Todd Bowles). Thomas exploded for eight receptions, two touchdowns, and 226 receiving yards, which still stands as the Broncos’ franchise record.
As Cromartie put it, Thomas most certainly “beat his ass.”
3. Chad Ochocinco
In November 2006, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson torched a rookie Cromartie and the Chargers for 260 yards and two touchdowns, catching 11 of his 12 targets. It set a new Cincinnati Bengals franchise record for receiving yards, which stood for 16 years until Ja’Marr Chase took the throne in 2022.
While Cromartie was a backup at the time, he still contributed to the explosion. In what Cromartie called his “Welcome to NFL moment,” he blew an assignment to let Johnson streak wide-open downfield, and then brutally whiffed on the tackle attempt after trying to recover. The result was a 76-yard touchdown.
Across four matchups in which Cromartie was in the starting lineup, he did an excellent job against Johnson. Cromartie recorded five passes defended and two interceptions, while Johnson caught 11 of 19 targets for just 208 yards and one touchdown.
4. Julio Jones
Labeled a “monster” by Cromartie, Julio Jones is still fifth all-time in career receiving yards per game (82.5). Cromartie only needed two matchups against the Atlanta Falcons legend to understand that he was not of this planet.
Jones was uber-efficient in his games against Cromartie, catching 18 of 23 targets (78%) for 288 yards and a touchdown. Nearly three-quarters of his receptions (13 of 18) resulted in a first down.
Cromartie did not record a single pass deflection or interception against Jones. However, his Jets came out on top with a Monday night comeback in October 2013.
5. Reggie Wayne
Regarding the Colts legend, Cromartie praised Reggie Wayne’s versatility, calling it “unreal” how Indianapolis used him in “a lot [of] stacks, bunches, and motion.”
Cromartie and Wayne had three regular season matchups, with Cromartie winning the battle. Wayne caught 17 of 31 targets for 261 yards and a touchdown, but Cromartie responded with six passes defended and four interceptions while winning two of the three matchups. This included a three-interception performance in November 2007, beating out Wayne’s 140 yards to lead a Chargers victory.
Wayne is the only receiver in Cromartie’s top-five that he met in the playoffs, and it happened thrice. Cromartie had some of the most memorable moments of his career in these matchups.
In the 2007 divisional round, Cromartied recorded an interception and held Wayne to seven receptions on 12 targets for 76 yards (one touchdown), sparking an upset for San Diego. It remains the Chargers’ most recent divisional round victory.
Wayne responded with 129 yards in a 2008 wild card victory, but Cromartie struck back in 2010 as part of one of the Jets’ all-time classic defensive performances. Wayne finished with one catch for one yard, playing a major role in the Jets pulling off a 17-16 wild card upset in Indy to end Peyton Manning’s Colts career on a sour note.
Cromartie’s 47-yard kickoff return helped set up the Jets’ game-winning field goal to seal Wayne’s final night with Manning after 11 seasons together.
