Entering the 2023 offseason, the free safety position was one of the New York Jets‘ top needs. Their previous starter, Lamarcus Joyner, was set to become a free agent – and he was arguably their worst defensive starter in 2022, anyway.
Fast forward to April 4 and the Jets are still yet to add a free safety. They did trade for Baltimore Ravens safety Chuck Clark, but Clark is a box safety, not someone you want playing a ton of reps in the deep part of the field. The same goes for Jordan Whitehead, who remains on the Jets’ roster (despite being an appealing cap-casualty candidate) after starting at strong safety in 2022.