New York Jets: Buster Skrine signing a smart move

By Luis Tirado Jr. | Mar 10, 2015

As reported by ESPN New York’s Rich Cimini, the New York Jets have come to an agreement with cornerback Buster Skrine. In one of the biggest needs on the Jets, they made a very smart move in bringing in Skrine to help address their issues at cornerback. At 5’10” and 186 lbs. of speed and precision when it comes to tackling, Skrine is an instant upgrade at the position where the Jets got torched at all season long last year.

The Jets landed him with a four-year, $25 million dollar deal that is suitable for what he brings to the table. What he lacks in size he makes up for in aggression as he’s a natural ball hawk and loves to make plenty of defensive stops for any quarterback throwing his way.

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With the Cleveland Browns his entire four-year career, his overall stats are good at 235 overall tackles and six interceptions. After watching some highlights of him, he seems like a tackling machine which to me which will be nice to have on the Jets from that part of the team.

This is a smart move since while Skrine isn’t by no means a true No. 1 shutdown cornerback, this is the kind of move that will compliment future moves I’m sure the Jets will make in free agency. It’s no secret that the Jets at the moment of this writing are still trying to reunite with Darrelle Revis as having Skrine secured makes his return somewhat possible.

With plenty of money to spend in free agency, Skrine is part of the major overhaul the Jets plan to do with their situation at cornerback. If they could land Revis, bring Antonio Cromartie back all while having Skrine also rounding out the troops, the Jets defense will be immensely better come next season.

Skrine is a natural competitor and has garnered much respect over his pro career so far. His coaches on the Browns have all publicly stated how much of a workhorse he is and that he is the kind of player that wants to get better at his position with every passing day.

He fits the mold of the kind of athlete that the Jets want to have as they do their best to rebuild their team in hopes of having a bounce back season in 2015. It won’t be easy but this move does add some much better talent to the Jets’ defensive secondary unlike the lack of urgency displayed in last year’s free agency.

Dec 14, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns cornerback Buster Skrine (22) breaks up a pass intended for Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green (18) during the third quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Bengals beat the Browns 30-0. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Even though Skrine technically isn’t a top cornerback, I honestly believe he’s part of the missing pieces the Jets needed to infuse better talent at the position. This could also be what lands guys like Revis and Cromartie since it shows their willingness to field a team worthy of contending for the playoffs over the next few years.

One of the areas that Skrine excels in is when it comes to man-to-man coverage. He will fit the mold nicely for what new defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers and head coach Todd Bowles envision what their defense will look like. There is no doubt they will be sure to put Skrine in a position to succeed.

Overall, I like this move by the Jets and fully believe more are coming. It’s the start of revamping their cornerback situation into one that will actually intimidate defenses as opposed to letting them have a field day when passing the football against them. Skrine is a natural born defender that will bring a ton of heart and passion to the Jets while ensuring he does his best to bring them back to the glory days of being a stout defense.

Next: New York Jets: Team settles for less with James Carpenter

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