As the Jets get close to training camp, I am going to examine the roster and give you my top 25 players. Each weekday, we will reveal another person on the list, leading right into camp. I am not including rookies on this list because I do not feel it is possible to fully evaluate them before they play a game.
No. 18: Buster Skrine
Last year’s ranking: 13
Position: Cornerback
Age: 28
How acquired: Signed a four-year, $25 million contract on March 10, 2015
Years left on contract: 2
2017 Salary Cap figure: $8.5 million
Looking back at 2016: Skrine started 14 games for the Jets last year, missing two due to injuries. He played on the outside in the base defense and moved inside in nickel.
Skrine had a disappointing season. He had just one interception and led the team in penalties with 10 (two declined).
Pro Football Focus ranked Skrine the 87th cornerback out of the 111 they graded. The website had him 90th in coverage.
After a promising start with the Jets in 2015, Skrine struggled along with the rest of the Jets secondary last year. He grabbed receivers too much, getting flagged for four holding penalties and three pass interference calls. Six of his penalties came in one game against the Cardinals.
Outlook for 2017: Skrine is the last man standing from the great secondary spending spree of 2015. Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie and Marcus Gilchrist are gone. Skrine has the Jets’ second-highest salary cap number behind just Muhammad Wilkerson.
The Jets need a jump from Skrine this year. Right now, he is the No. 2 cornerback behind Morris Claiborne. Like last year, he is starting on the outside in base and then shifting inside in nickel. Second-year player Juston Burris is gaining on him, though, and it would not be a shock to see Burris take over that outside role completely.
New secondary coach Dennard Wilson must figure out a way to get Skrine to cut down on the penalties. It has been a problem for his entire career.
It also would be nice to see Todd Bowles and Kacy Rodgers get back to using Skrine as a blitzer off the edge, as they did in his first year with the Jets. He was a disruptive force in several games in 2015. That did not happen much last year, perhaps because of the other issues on the back end of the defense.