We all know the Jets have a wad of cap space at their disposal this offseason. We also know that an upgrade at Safety is required and there are 2 elite safeties available in Free agency. For the sake of argument, let's say Idzik has the Safety position at the top of his FA priority list. If you had to choose one that you would like the Jets to sign to a big contract. Who would it be and why? I like them both (TJ Ward and Jarius Byrd). However, they both bring different skills to the table. I think Byrd is one of the better cover safeties in the league, and seems to make plays on a weekly basis. Ward hits like a Mack truck. The Jets haven't had a good cover Safety in so long....I think i would choose Byrd over Ward. But i wouldn't shed any tears if Ward was signed either.
I'm not sure I want to pay top tier money for either of them, but if I had to pick one, I'd go with Byrd. The idea of a safety that can actually roam the field and ball hawk is awesome. It would allow Allen to play in the box a bit more, which is where I believe he excels.
only for byrd... we already have two in the box type players.. tj ward is just a upgrade but not filling a need really... byrd on the other hand.....of course i want him but that cash to get him should really be invested in our d line.. maybe not now but down the road..wilks and harrison are in contract years..after this year coples will be and then in 2 years richardson... something to think about
I agree that we need a cover safety over a SS, and I wouldn't have issue with us signing Byrd to a long term deal. We need some stability in the defensive backfield.
I chose Ward even though we need a cover safety more than an in-the-box safety because I think he'll be considerably cheaper and I think he's better overall. If what someone pointed out yesterday is true, Byrd has gotten all his picks against bad teams and bad QBs, not against good QBs and has never gotten one against Brady. IMO that would mean that he isn't really as good as he appears to be and not worth the kind of money he'll get. I'd rather add Ward and then try to get one of the few good FS prospects in the draft, or a CB that I thought had the requisite size and skills to make an excellent FS and let Reed go to work on him.
I disagree. There is more to playing safety than INTs, and discounting a FS because he hasn't had INTs against top QBs (they tend not to throw many) makes even less sense. I'll leave it to the scouts and the decision-makers on whether Byrd is a player deserving of a long term offer, but it certainly is an area of need and this draft is not loaded with talented FSs.
We should be all over Jairyus Byrd. If we had him last year we could've made the playoffs. It was sad to see us beat down the field by every QB we faced. If we can get Byrd to come in on a 3 or 4 year deal it'll be worth every penny. There'd still be plenty of cap room and we'd have an all pro at our weakest position on defense.
Is Byrd 100% healthy? I don't believe it's smart to ever give long term deals to guys coming off injuries. Plus, it seems he wants over 10 mill per. That's a bit to much for a safety in my eyes Ward, I haven't seen him play much. I don't really know much about him other than I have seen him make some highlights big hits
I don't disagree with anything you've said. In fact with the exception of the comment about discounting a FS, I totally agree with everything else you said. I think when you're going to hand a guy a contract for $11 million, he'd better be pretty much a big time player that produces when the chips are down. A guy who only produces against the bad teams and QBs isn't that kind of guy imo. The fact that he hasn't produced at the same level against the elite teams is a very telling fact, if true, and has to be taken into consideration. If what the other poster said is correct, I just don't think that Byrd is worth what he'll be asking. If he's wrong, or if Idzik likes him and doesn't have a problem shelling out the cash and guaranteeing him a starting spot, I'll welcome it gladly. I just don't think Idzik will do that.
The one thing that really helps us out this year is how deep the Saftey Free agent market is and how deep the draft is especially at WRs. With Decoud, Delmas, Byrd, Ward etc out there makes it very exciting going into FA. Also there are some pretty good Corners as well so it will be interesting to see what we do with Cromartie. People always say that Rex doesn't value the position and what not. Well Idzik isn't going to come in and neglect one of our biggest weaknesses and not try to make it better. I can't wait to see what happens within the next ten days.
i disagree... yes ward is a good player.. yes he would upgrade our group... but keep in mind hes goin to cost bucks.. and he isnt really the type of player we need.. we have two starters that are some what simular.. signing ward would be like in madden upgrading your 82 overall player with a 86 overall with that in mind if i heard we signed him to a good deal i would be happy...
Gimme Chris Clemons he graded out well and it would be killing two birds with one stone, with taking him away from the fins
Chris Clemons is a name that I'm surprised hasn't been brought up much yet. He graded out very well as a cover safety and would cost significantly less than Byrd.
i'd easily be willing to pay for byrd, i have no idea why we wouldn't. it would make this defense elite and solidify a position of need for 4 years i feel like people here are terrified to spend money, like sometimes you can go out and get effective FAs
Lets get Byrd. We will have to overpay but overpaying is part of the game, every team is overpaying someone. Byrd is really good to.
