New York Jets Getting Great Results From Corner Not Named Sauce Gardner

The New York Jets have been getting elite cornerback play out of a surprising source this season.

Sep 9, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; New York Jets cornerback D.J. Reed (4) gestures before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Everyone on planet earth expected the New York Jets to have an elite cornerback this season, but the player that as been the best is a bit of a surprise.

As Pro Football Focus updated their ranking of the NFL's best cornerbacks ahead of Week 4, the Jets had two players within the top 15. The order that they appear in is not what most would expect.

Seven-year veteran D.J. Reed came in at the number five spot with a 78.2 coverage grade so far this season.

Reed missed the second game of the season, but came back with a great performance against the New England Patriots.

He's given up just three catches on five targets for 30 yards this season in 74 coverage snaps played. Teams have felt more comfortable testing Sauce Gardner this season and have actually been right to do so.

The 27-year-old has had one of the best starts to his career

His biggest issue has continued to be his tackling, with two missed tackles already this season.

It will continue to be an issue for him, as he likely won't be putting more muscle on at this stage of his career. It is one of the trade-offs of having an undersized corner at 5-foot-9 and 188 pounds.

His size hasn't impacted his coverage ability, which is more important anyway.

The Kansas States Wildcats product rebuilt his NFL career a few years ago with the Seattle Seahawks and has maintained that success for the past few years in New York.

Gardner was also still mentioned in the list, coming in at No. 15 overall. He'd probably be much higher on the list if he didn't have that abysmal performance against the Tennessee Titans.

The third-year player was taken for five catches on six targets for 97 yards and a touchdown score.

Luckily, that seems like just an off-day that didn't hurt the team too badly as the Jets still came away with a victory.

Gardner responded to that performance with a stellar outing against the Patriots.

In his other two games this year, he has only been targeted four times and given up two catches for just nine yards.

Despite his low ranking, no one should be worried about the 24-year-old moving forward.

If they are able to get both players to play well consistently, New York will be set with one of the best cornerback duos in the league.