The New York Jets pass defense has continued to impress in 2024, a major reason why the defensive unit is viewed as the best in football.
However, it could look different in 2025.
Star cornerback D.J. Reed will hit the open market, and he recently told reporters that he has no plans on accepting a contract this season.
Unless his thoughts change over the next few months, he’ll be a free agent and have an opportunity to make a lot of money.
The Jets understand the possibility of losing Reed. They have to pay many of their top players in the foreseeable future, so unless they get creative or barring anything drastic, there likely isn’t money for him.
That leaves a hole that needs to be filled.
Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department suggested they replace Reed with an interesting player in San Francisco 49ers corner Deommodore Lenoir.
“A lot of the Jets’ recent success on defense can be attributed to the cornerback tandem of Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed. It’s one of the best duos in the league. However, Reed is going to be a 28-year-old free agent who could cash in next season. Depending on what his contract will look like, the Jets might be willing to change course and target someone like Deommodore Lenoir. He’ll only be 26 years old and has started to prove that he’s a worthy starter.”
Lenoir hasn’t been the same type of player as Reed throughout his career. New York would be lucky to find a player of Reed’s caliber for a cheap price, as those are rare around the NFL.
Despite that, Lenoir is a very good player. He posted an impressive 72.6 coverage grade in 2023, according to PFF. He also graded out at a 72.5 overall, which was well above average at his position.
Similar to Reed, Lenoir has the benefit of playing on an elite 49ers defense. For the Jets, they wouldn’t have to worry about that changing due to the talent he’d still be surrounded with.
It’s also important to note that 2023 was by far the best season of the 24-year-old’s career. In 2022, he posted a 51.0 coverage grade, which does lead to some worries about his future.
Nonetheless, New York will have a chance to see how he plays this year, and if he continues to build upon his impressive 2023 campaign, they should feel confident bringing him in.
