Jets’ Dunn makes case at corner
Undrafted free agent Isaiah Dunn has created a buzz throughout the offseason for all the right reasons.
Usually, undrafted rookies have an uphill battle to make the team and aren’t expected to contribute, but Dunn has been given the a chance to overcome those odds. Last Wednesday, the last day of mandatory minicamp, Dunn ran with the Jets’ first team. It’s not uncommon for coaches to give first-year players first-team reps. Dunn, if nothing else however, further proved his worth and had his strongest performance of the offseason.
Cornerbacks coach Tony Oden said after the session that Dunn was trending in the right direction.
“He’s working hard just like all our guys are,” Oden said. “Some of the things that we saw coming out that we still see now is that he is a smart player. He works at it... He wants to improve, he wants to get better. His arrow is trending upward.”
During the first session of 11-on-11, Zach Wilson launched a deep ball down the left sideline to Corey Davis, but Dunn was on Davis’ hip, so he stuck his left hand out and broke up the pass. Dunn broke up two passes in the second-team session as well: the first, on a Wilson deep post pass to Elijah Moore, which Dunn stayed on top of through the route and deflected; the second, on a Wilson curl route to Vyncint Smith, which Dunn was able to slap away after smoothly breaking out of his backpedal.
Dunn, an Oregon State product, was clearly in a “No Fly Zone” rhythm and that continued through 7-on-7. In one instance, Wilson threw a deep bomb to Keelan Cole, but it fell incomplete because of Dunn’s coverage. He gave Cole little separation. Then during redzone, Wilson scrambled to the left side of the field and floated a pass to Ryan Griffin in the corner of the end zone, but Dunn’s coverage made the throw difficult and it fell incomplete.
These were only the latest reasons the Jets had him on their radar and the coaches have praised his efforts. Jeff Ulbrich said the Jets didn’t expect Dunn to go undrafted, but they’ve been pleased with the investment.
“He’s a guy that has grown every day. It’s one of those guys that we thought would get drafted,” Ulbrich said. “We definitely contemplated drafting him toward the end and were very surprised when he wasn’t. So, we were ecstatic to get him here, especially as a UDFA.
“That’s a guy that makes strides every day,” Ulbrich said. “He’s making a push to not just make this team, but potentially play and contribute.”
The Jets and Dunn struck a three-year deal for $185,000 guaranteed, including $160,000 of his base salary guaranteed, plus a $25,000 signing bonus — the biggest contract ever for an undrafted rookie corner.
Safeties coach Marquand Manuel also gave Dunn a positive review on his offseason.
“He came in as a rookie and did what we asked him to do. When you watch him, he came in every day, and you watched him get better,” Manuel said. “And that’s the small thing. That’s the only thing a lot of people don’t understand as a rookie is daily improvement. And when you can see that, that’s now the lights starting to turn on… Hopefully we can build more of that.”
Ulbrich has said nobody in the group has separated themselves so far. So, the cornerback spot is wide open and it’s not far-fetched to expect Dunn to push for a starting spot when training camp rolls around.