New York Jets

Sauce Gardner, Jets’ revamped secondary ready for bigger tests

Updated Oct. 12, 2022 3:55 p.m. ET

By Henry McKenna
FOX Sports AFC East Writer

The Miami Dolphins were four seconds into their first offensive drive in Week 5 when New York Jets rookie corner Sauce Gardner made a play. Blitzing off the left side of the defense, Gardner went unblocked and teed off on quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for a safety.

The Jets had been hoping for that exact opportunity after their week of preparation.

"It was just one of those deals where we felt like it would be low-risk based on what we saw in film study," coach Robert Saleh said postgame. "We got an explosive play out of it. You don't want to live that dangerously all the time, but we felt we could get an explosive play, and it worked out."

Reminder: Gardner is a cornerback. He doesn't play edge or specialize in rushing the passer. He covers receivers (well) and seemed like he'd spend most of this game with his hands full against Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, the most explosive receiving tandem in the league. Gardner and the rest of the revamped Jets secondary — which includes newcomers in cornerback D.J. Reed and safety Jordan Whitehead — didn't wilt.

Prior to the matchup, Reed explained why he was thrilled to play against Hill and Waddle.

"It's a huge opportunity for our secondary to show why we belong and why we're one of the best in the NFL," Reed said.

Is New York's secondary among the NFL's best? The Jets are tied for fourth with seven interceptions, and they're in the top 10 at 205.8 passing yards allowed per game. So they're getting there. And that's a heck of a lot better than 2021, when the Jets posted the third-worst sum of 259.4 yards allowed per game. (Yikes!)

New York paid big money to Reed (three years, $33 million) and Whitehead (two years, $14.5 million). In the draft, the Jets selected Gardner No. 4 overall. And those additions coincided with the healthy return of Lamarcus Joyner, who missed almost all of 2021 with a Week 1 elbow injury. Every one of those players has looked solid and, at times, exceptional.

That's quite the achievement for general manager Joe Douglas. It's not easy to patch a secondary in such a short time. Free agency has not fixed the Jets' woes in the past — and neither has top-five draft picks. So it's big if Douglas has indeed pieced together this puzzle.

Jets pull out win vs. Dolphins in Week 5

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But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Even Saleh admitted that the Jets didn't quite get the challenge they wanted last Sunday. Dolphins starting QB Tua Tagovailoa didn't play because of a concussion, and backup Bridgewater's head and elbow injuries on that first play left rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson to run Miami's offense. It didn't look quite as explosive, particularly after Hill suffered an ankle injury in the fourth quarter.

With those caveats in place, the Jets logged a crucial win, even with the Dolphins' offense at reduced strength. And Gardner didn't stop at one explosive play. He also dunked on the third-string QB and logged his first career interception.

In coverage on River Cracraft, Gardner broke on the ball. Because Jets defensive end John Franklin-Myers tipped the pass as it came out of Thompson's hand, the throw wobbled and lacked zip. That gave Gardner time to make the play.

It's a nice example of why the Jets' so-far successful rebuild of their secondary has just as much to do with the team's strong defensive line play.

"It's not a secondary thing, it's not a front thing, it's a collective thing," defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said last week. "When you apply pressure, you force bad decisions. As we always say, ‘Pressure busts pipes.’"

New York's defensive back group looks better because Quinnen Williams has been a monster pass-rusher in the interior, with 17 total pressures and four sacks, per Pro Football Focus. Franklin-Myers has 12 pressures and Carl Lawson has three sacks and 11 quarterback hits, per PFF. Even outside linebacker Jacob Martin — who you've probably never heard of — has contributed 10 pressures on his 60 pass-rushes so far this season.

When the defensive line is rushing the quarterback's decisions, the coverage tends to score well. Reed has a 74.1 coverage grade from PFF. Gardner landed at 68.4, Whitehead received a 65.2 and Joyner graded lowest at 48.3. But perhaps he's trending in the right way, because he did log a pair of interceptions in Week 4 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Schematically, the Jets seem to have found something that works: playing single-high safety. That puts pressure on the cornerbacks, who will often play in man coverage. That's often called "playing on an island." In single-high coverage, there's no help for Gardner or Reed. They're pretty much on their own against their mark.

"You can play it however you want to, you can roll coverage over, you can squeeze the middles, you can do whatever you want," Saleh said. "You don't have to cheat to mask on the outside because you feel so comfortable with those guys out there. It opens up a lot, and I feel like they're a big part of why our defense has been playing so well."

The Jets have also assigned sides to their cornerbacks, with Gardner on the left and Reed on the right. That means they won't shadow a receiver for the entire game, but will instead rotate.

Keeping all that in mind, Reed said he thinks Gardner is "playing at a Pro Bowl, All-Pro level." In Week 5, Gardner allowed a 34.2 passer rating in coverage. Reed is playing the best ball of his career after breaking out as an up-and-comer on the Seahawks' defense the past two years. Whitehead and Joyner are helping to hold the secondary together.

On Sunday in Green Bay (1 p.m. ET on FOX), the Jets will have something of an inverse of what they got last week. The Dolphins had elite pass-catchers but not much in the way of quarterback talent. In Week 6, New York will see Aaron Rodgers, who lacks receiving talent.

"You're going to get a Hall of Fame quarterback [in] Aaron Rodgers," Reed said this week. "That excites me. I know that excites Sauce. I know it excites all the guys that are playing on defense."

The Jets are looking to shed their label as young and promising. They want to be established. Beating Rodgers would help their case.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.