Safety Continues To Be New York Jets Position Battle To Watch During Camp

As the New York Jets continue to try and field an elite defense, who is going to be their starting safeties will be the biggest storyline to monitor during camp.

May 23, 2023; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets safety Chuck Clark (23) warms up during OTA s at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center / Jonathan Jones-USA TODAY Sports

There are tons of expectations placed upon this New York Jets team coming into the year as they are expecting a healthy Aaron Rodgers to elevate their offense that was one of the worst in the NFL during 2023.

Adding weapons, legitimate offensive lineman, and depth at running back should certainly help with that, but having an elite signal caller like the future Hall of Famer gives them a chance to be one of the best teams this season.

If the offense is able to take the next step, the Jets will have an opportunity to meet those high expectations by winning their division and getting into the playoffs.

With a defense that has been utterly dominant the past two years, despite the difficult situations their fledgling offense put them in multiple times a game, there's a chance that unit can be even better if their counterparts pull their weight.

However, there is still something that needs to be figured out on the defensive side of the ball.

That's why the safety battle continues to be the biggest storyline to monitor during camp as head coach Robert Saleh said they are going to have an open competition to determine who the starters are going to be.

Chuck Clark is expected to be one of them after re-signing with New York following missing all of 2023 with a torn ACL. But it's unknown what he might look like one year removed from that injury.

The departure of Jordan Whitehead is going to be felt as he started every game the past two seasons and picked off six balls and defended another 17.

Tony Adams and Ashtyn Davis are seen as the two who are going to compete with Clark for the starting designation after both started games over the course of last season, as well.

It's hard to imagine any of the other safeties on this roster would emerge as starters, so it will be interesting to see who out of this group will win the job and be the backend of this defense that is expected to put together another elite year.