Jets Believe Lamarcus Joyner could be among the best in the NFL: Insider

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New York Jets defender Lamarcus Joyner goes through some exercises during training camp.

Sometimes there’s a big gap between what fans think and what the team thinks about the holes on the roster.

Throughout the season, several factions within the New York Jets fan base have brutally divided the team over their safety situation facing Jordan Whitehead.

Despite public outcry, the team resisted the urge to do anything substantive at that point. After the latest report, we now know why.

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Good good good

The expected starter opposite Whitehead is veteran Lamarcus Joyner.

He originally signed with the team last season and is believed to be a key cog in the sideline. However, a devastating end-of-season injury in Week 1 changed those plans dramatically.

This is why the old State of Florida product is re-upgraded in green and white under a one-year contract. While fans may have overlooked the move, the coaching staff felt very differently about The Athletic’s talented defender Connor Hughes:

“The Jets love Joyner. They still believe he could be one of the league’s better free safes and see Jeff Ulbrich’s protection as a way to keep him out of Raiders struggles. The pressure on Joyner is that the Jets don’t have much behind him.

Jason Pinnock has potential, but the 2021 fifth-round player still needs another year of development before he can be legitimately considered a starting option. Ashtyn Davis has physical tools, but his range and speed mean little when he’s constantly running away. Will Parks and Elijah Riley were good stories last year, but not meant to play anything other than exceptional teams.

The Jets’ defense will be significantly improved this year. Joyner’s health and ability to return to form is key there.”

That explains a lot

We started this column saying that there can often be divisions between fans and teams.

After hearing this latest insight from a team perspective, it now makes a lot more sense.

The reason why the Jets didn’t pick a safe in the 2022 NFL draft or sign a longtime free agent in the position is that they don’t think they need to.

If they truly believe that Joyner can be “one of the better free safe players in the league” then this defense has a chance to be really special.

With two starters in the corner (Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Gardner and DJ Reed Jr), the Whitehead addition, and the Joyner addition (he technically joined the team last year), this spin-off is already built completely rebuilt for a single reason.

The Jets are putting tons of their eggs in the Joyner basket to achieve success in 2022. Behind him are a series of question marks with a series of untested players.

Though if this minor can withstand the test that will provide plenty of time for this front seven to get behind the opposing midfielder.

We often discuss what is the better formula? One good thing left the midfielder in trouble compared to an unusual pass that got there so quickly that the big picture of everything mattered less.

The good news are both sides of the coin that the Jets have covered right now. Last year their defense was a weak point and this year that could be the reason for their success.

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