New York Jets: Antonio Cromartie right about Dee Milliner

While the comments that New York Jets veteran cornerback Antonio Cromartie made as a criticism of Seattle Seahawks star CB Richard Sherman were ones I disagree with, at least his remarks reflected positively on teammate Darrelle Revis, who also reunited with the Jets this offseason. New Jets head coach Todd Bowles and GM Mike Maccagnan also brought in a third big-money CB in former Cleveland Browns young playmaker Buster Skrine, giving them the league’s best cornerback trio.

Make that the league’s best cornerback quartet, because you can’t count out 2013 first-round pick Dee Milliner. Although I wasn’t in agreement with Cromartie’s diss of Sherman, I am in agreement with his comments on Milliner, whom he recently defended from the dreaded “bust” tag.

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Cromartie asserted, via NJ.com’s Dom Cosentino, “It’s not a point of saying, ‘He’s a first-round bust,’ because I don’t believe that. He shows a lot of potential in what he can do, when he’s healthy.”

The former San Diego Chargers and Arizona Cardinals corner added, “Dee can play. That’s something that he has to figure out himself, and come in into the system, and say, ‘I’m ready to go, I’m healthy, I’m going to be ready to go when training camp gets here, and I need to show everyone that I can come in and play with the best of them.’ ”

I love it when players, especially veterans, defend their teammates, and what Cromartie says here is true. The only question that I have with Milliner is health, because he’s proven that he has the talent to be a starting-caliber cornerback in this league. The Jets drafted him in the first round with the intent of him becoming a shutdown corner, as he was the most touted cover corner in the 2013 draft class. And while he hasn’t looked like a star in his first two seasons, it’s hard to slap the “bust” tag on a player who has appeared in just 16 career games.

When Milliner first joined the Jets, he looked like an early disappointment, but that’s because everyone expected far too much out of him in his first season. Playing the cornerback position as a rookie isn’t easy- even for an Alabama product- and it’s even more difficult when said corner is joining a secondary that didn’t have much around him. That year, Cromartie clearly wasn’t himself, as he struggled through injuries and was thus forced to take a one-year, prove-it deal to rehab his value with the Cardinals organization.

The fact that Milliner played in just three games last season is very disappointing, but it’s easy to forget the promise he showed as a rookie. He looked lost and burn prone early in his first season with the New York Jets, but Milliner gradually started to look more comfortable. His steady progress culminated in a very impressive Week 17 win against the Miami Dolphins, because even though the opposition tried to pick on him as often as possible, he simply gave up no ground.

Consider these numbers in coverage. According to Pro Football Focus, Milliner allowed just five receptions on ten targets in his direction for 50 yards, good for just a 38.5% catch rate and five yards per target allowed. One of those receptions allowed was a touchdown, but Milliner more than made up for it with two interceptions of his own.

In fact, his performance in the previous game against the Browns was similar, because he was picked on frequently but didn’t give up much ground. Someone reading his stat line might think he played poorly by allowing ten receptions for 113 yards, but the Browns needed a whopping 18 targets to put up those numbers; that’s just 6.3 yards per target. Moreover, none of those ten receptions went for a TD, but Milliner also had a pick and an additional pass defended.

Dee Milliner clearly has the talent to succeed in this league, but he needs to have a big offseason in order to prove to Bowles and Maccagnan, who seem to be really down on him after making significant investments in three corners this offseason, that he deserves some playing time. Bowles has shown that he’s willing to play plenty of defensive backs at one time, so perhaps Milliner can forge a role of significance in the Jets defense.

If he isn’t able to, then he’s still auditioning for something, because if he’s able to prove that he’s healthy and make good on the promise he showed in his four strong appearances to finish off his rookie season, then a CB-needy team could make a trade for him.

Aug 17, 2013; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets corner back Dee Milliner (27) during warmups before a preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

I’m glad Antonio Cromartie came to Milliner’s defense, because the third-year corner is just 23 and showed enough playmaking ability (15 PDs and three picks) in his rookie season and man coverage skills in college (and in the final games of his rookie year) to avoid the “bust” label.

It’s too early of a call to make, but Milliner does need to worry about being justly branded as a “bust” if he can’t manage to stay healthy in the future (or if the promise he showed as a rookie merely ends up being a “flash in the pan”).

I like Milliner’s skill-set, but maybe he will end up being regarded as a bust in the future. Cromartie’s opinion on Milliner might not be popular to the general public, but he’s right in that judging a player after just 16 games is unfair, especially when that player has clear talent.

Of course, he has to make good on his talent quickly, because he is technically battling for a roster spot at a crowded position, though it is almost impossible to see the Jets releasing him with all of his money being guaranteed.

Next: Will Marshall redeem himself on Jets?

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