Are the Cowboys really that far from the Jets in secondary rankings?

Pro Football Focus (PFF) is gradually releasing their annual projected rankings for the upcoming 2024 season and their latest list has Dallas falling out of the top 10 secondary rankings a year after coming in sixth.

PFF ranked Dallas as the 13th best in the NFL and a comparison against the top rated teams reveal the Cowboys may need a mulligan.

In a brief overview, according to PFF, the surprising development for the Cowboys fall is largely due to the departure of veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who remains a free agent.

Despite this, the Cowboys’ secondary boasts formidable players in corners DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs. However, both are known for their high-risk, high-reward play styles, often allowing significant separation and big plays in exchange for potential interceptions.

This boom-or-bust approach results in a net positive overall but negatively impacts their grading and rankings, highlighting a need for more consistency. In comparison, the top-ranked Jets present a stark contrast.

Cowboys fans may see things a bit differently.

The Jets returning four starters is a bit misleading. Presumed starting safety Chuck Clark tore his ACL last season and has yet to play a down for the team. His counterpart, safety Tony Adams, fared decently with a 68.0 grade.

In Dallas, safety Donovan Wilson is the type of player who could excel in the new defensive scheme. His 68.0 PFF grade is identical to New York’s Adams, the only Jets safety without a question mark.

The Jets’ third safety, Ashtyn Davis, earned a 74.7 PFF grade. He also had nine games where he played less than double-digit downs on defense. Behind him, the four other bodies the Jets employ have played a combined 4 defensive snaps in the NFL including three rookies – none taken before the sixth round of the draft.

Dallas on the other hand returns the PFF’s 13th-highest rated overall safety in Malik Hooker, who is also the highest rated safety amongst both teams with a 77.3 grade.

The Cowboys will also welcome safety turned linebacker Markquese Bell back to his original position a well. Bell was moved to the second level to assist a thin group. He finished the season with a 76.8 overall grade and an impressive 5.7% incompletion rate.

Bell’s 83.5 coverage grade ranked sixth amongst all NFL linebackers.

Cowboys reserve safety Juanyeh Thomas has generated buzz in Cowboys circles and recorded an 81.1 PFF grade in 2023. His 192 defensive snaps in a reserve role are just below the 218 snaps the Jets Davis recorded as a supposed returning starter.

Advantage, Dallas.

On the outside, the 2023 All Pro team consisted of two starting cornerbacks in the Cowboys’ DaRon Bland and the Jets Sauce Gardner. Bland (89.5) graded out higher than Gardners 88.6 in 2023.

Gardner has two career interceptions while Bland recorded nine interceptions including an NFL record five pick-six’s in a single season. This is a year after he notched 5 interceptions in his rookie season.

That pits Cowboys All Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs, who is retuning from an ACL tear, against Jets corner D.J. Reed. Diggs played in only two games before his injury yet his 80.7 grade suggests he was well on his way to another great season.

Reed has played in 15 games and finished the season with a 77.9 grade. In six seasons, the 5-foot-9 corner has yet to make a Pro Bowl. Diggs, on the other hand, is a two time Pro Bowler and was selected to the All Pro team in 2021. Circumstances may make the comparison amongst the starting corners a push.

That leaves the reserve corners in a battle for supremacy.

Cowboys slot corner Jourdan Lewis returned from a serious foot injury and played a below-average season with a 52.5 PFF grade. Rookie fifth round corner Caelen Carson joins second-year corner Eric Scott, who did notsee a snap in 2023, as the next in line to play.

This is where Dallas may miss Gilmore.

In his third season, Jets slot corner Michael Carter II posted an impressive 80.4 PFF grade but like the others in New York, has only two career interceptions. New York added cornerback Isaiah Oliver who posted a 67.7 in San Francisco last season.

Behind him, cornerback Brandin Echols had three high volume games in 2023 and nine others where he played less than 10 defensive snaps. The rest is unknown with three rookies drafted in the fifth round or later.

Dallas has the better starting cornerback duo and is better and deeper at safety while New York employs two starting caliber slot corners and a fifth corner with some experience.

The Jets take this round and highlights the authors view of how big of a loss Gilmore is for Dallas.

Ultimately, the Jets have smaller separation gaps in coverage yet fail to generate the type of turnovers that gain notoriety. Dallas on the other hand has gambled with coverage but their payoff has been astronomical. PFF seems to think that risk taking will eventually burn Dallas more than it helps, despite their grades saying it hasn’t yet.