Jets No. 15: Pierre Desir
The 2020 Jets hope to kick off the new decade by snapping a nine-year playoff drought.
There was plenty of roster turnover this offseason, but the question remains: Does new necessarily mean better?
Tom Brady’s departure ostensibly gives hope to the rest of the AFC East, but will the Jets be the team to knock the Patriots off their perch as division rulers?
I’ll be revealing my Top 20 players on the roster every weekday for the next four weeks in the run-up to training camp.
This list is made up of the players who I believe will have the greatest impact for Adam Gase’s team this season. The ranking isn’t simply based on a player’s resume. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
So, we’re peering into our crystal ball and taking some leaps of faith. There’s some quality young talent on Gang Green’s roster. Some of those guys are poised to take their games to the next level.
Get ready for some surprises.
No. 14: PIERRE DESIR
● 2019 ranking: N/A ● Position: Cornerback ● Age at the start of the season: 30
● 2020 salary cap charge: $4 million
● Contract status: Signed one year, $3.75 million deal in offseason
● 2019 Season in Review: Desir’s raw statistics belied his decline in coverage. Although he had career highs in interceptions (three) and pass breakups (11) in 12 games for the Colts last season, he was not as productive as he was the previous season.
Opposing quarterbacks completed 64.9% of their passes with a 96.5 passer rating against Desir. The 6-1, 192pounder also gave up five touchdowns in the first year after inking a three-year, $22.9 million extension last offseason.
Desir’s nagging hamstring injury played a role in his struggles.
“I was dealing with a hamstring injury and missed a couple of games,” Desir said. “So that kind of put me down a little bit throughout the year. But this is a business. You’re only as good as your last performance. And I think I showed that I could still compete at a high level. Even missing four games, I was able to get three interceptions. I think my ceiling’s very high.”
2020 Outlook: Desir, who will turn 30 before the start of the regular season, will be needed to provide stability on the back end a year after Gregg Williams & Co. dealt with deficiencies at cornerback. Although it’s unrealistic to expect miracles from Desir, who is on his fourth team in seven seasons, Gang Green certainly needs him to be better than last year’s Week 1 starters Trumaine Johnson and Darryl Roberts.
Although Williams prefers a blitz-friendly, man-to-man scheme, the truth is that the Jets will be forced to play plenty of zone again this season given the players at the coach’s disposal. Desir was exposed to different schemes with the Colts, but he’s best in zone.
Williams played an instrumental role in luring Desir shortly after he was cut.
NEXT ON THE COUNTDOWN:
A unsung player with a nasty edge.