New York Jets: Dealing Calvin Pryor a move toward future
The New York Jets traded safety Calvin Pryor to the Cleveland Browns for little return, but they more importantly invested fully in their future.
When the New York Jets selected LSU safety Jamal Adams with the No. 6 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the rebuild of the secondary started taking shape. So when they followed that up by taking Marcus Maye in the second round, it was a full investment in the future. The only issue, though, was that 2014 first-round pick, strong safety Calvin Pryor, remained on the roster.
That’s no longer an issue that the Jets face as of Thursday, however. As first reported by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Jets traded the safety to the Cleveland Browns. The deal brought back linebacker Demario Davis, who the Jets lost in free agency in 2016. Davis, for all intents and purposes, hasn’t been a game-changer by any stretch.
Considering the draft pedigree of Pryor, the gut reaction might be to think that the Jets gave the safety away for almost nothing. While that ostensibly might be true, this trade wasn’t about the return. Making the deal with the Browns was all about the Jets going all-in on their future and rebuilding their defense.
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Admittedly, the trade from New York wasn’t wholly shocking. With the selections of Adams and Maye, it turned from a matter of “if they trade Pryor” to “when”. Even still, that general manager Mike Maccagnan and the front office pulled the trigger is huge.
Jets fans — and anyone who faced them in 2016 — can attest to how atrocious the secondary was last season. With cutting Darrelle Revis, now trading Pryor and investing heavily at safety in the draft, they are instituting a clear transition.
More importantly than moving on, though, the Jets are building from the ground up rather than with band-aids. For years, one of the biggest shortcomings organizationally in New York has been their inability to build through the draft while going heavily in on free agency additions. This is a stark turn from that course of action. And this alternative presents a great deal more viability for turning the defense around.
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Obviously the hope is that both Adams and Maye are stars at the position. And though it’s in the cards, it’s not a guarantee. However, successful NFL teams aren’t built on banking on guarantees — largely because there’s no such thing in this league. What these teams do, however, is be willing to take calculated risks with an investment in the future. The Pryor trade signifies that’s exactly what the Jets are doing.