Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
New York Jets cornerback D.J. Reed believes that the team’s defense can be among the best in NFL history in the 2023 season.
Reed compared New York’s current defense to that of the legendary Chicago Bears team from the 1985 and 1986 seasons as well as the Seattle Seahawks’ “Legion of Boom” defense that featured Richard Sherman, Brandon Browner, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor in the secondary.
“I’m very confident,” Reed said Monday. “I think we have the potential to be the best defense in the NFL. Honestly, I think we can be historical, not just the best defense in the league, but I think we can be a historical defense like the ’85-’86 Bears and the LOB [Seahawks’ Legion of Boom] in 2013. I think we can be that dominant if we just put all the things together.”
It’s certainly a bold claim by Reed, but the Jets have the talent on the roster to be an elite defense.
The team has reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Sauce Gardner at cornerback opposite of Reed, and it added another key member to the secondary in safety Adrian Amos this offseason. Amos made a career-high 102 combined tackles for the Green Bay Packers last season.
The Jets also have a lethal pass rush with John Franklin-Myers, Quinnen Williams and Carl Lawson up front. They also have first-round picks from the 2022 NFL Draft (Jermaine Johnson) and 2023 NFL Draft (Will McDonald IV) on their defensive line.
“S—, why not speak your goals?” said Franklin-Myers, backing up Reed’s bold statement. “We’re not afraid to sit here and go out on a limb and say we want to win the Super Bowl, or we want to be the best defense in the NFL.”
During the 2022 season, New York allowed just 4.8 yards per play, tying the Philadelphia Eagles for the best mark in the NFL. The team also allowed the fourth-fewest points in the league (316) last season.
The Jets should be one of the better teams in the NFL in the 2023 season now that they have Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. If the team’s defense reaches the elite level that Reed expects, then New York could win the Super Bowl this season.
New York and Reed will be tested early in the season, as the team plays Josh Allen and the vaunted Buffalo Bills offense in Week 1.
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