The 2026 offseason has officially begun, and the New York Jets will be looking to improve on a disastrous 3-14 season in Aaron Glenn’s first year as head coach. Glenn has recently overhauled his coaching staff, and now it’s time to overhaul the roster, as he’ll need to show huge improvement in 2026 if he wants to land the job in 2027.
Jets Wire will analyze each position on the roster in detail to see if improvements are needed and possible solutions to address the issues. For our next position breakdown, we stay in the secondary and focus on safety, a team guaranteed to look completely different in 2026 than it did in 2025.
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safety depth chart:
Malachi Moore, Tony Adams, Andre Sisco, Isaiah Oliver, Dean Clark
2025 review
The Jets’ secondary was brutal last season, and safety concerns were a big reason why. Glenn and general manager Darren Muggie haven’t been too aggressive in free agency, simply adding players after the season and hoping they bounce back in New York. Cisco is one of them, signing a one-year deal with the Jaguars after a disappointing performance in 2024 with the Jaguars.
Cisco isn’t far off from where he was in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, when he totaled seven interceptions. However, Cisco struggled defensively, was a very poor tackler, and only played eight games for the Jets after a torn pectoral muscle ended his season.
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Adams was still a very inconsistent player under Glenn, and he was under Robert Saleh. While he does have 5 PBUs, he ranks 13thth In addition to all safeties, he allowed opposing quarterbacks a passer rating of 100.5. He was one of the many culprits in a defense that didn’t throw a single interception last season.
Of this entire group, only Moore, the team’s fourth-round pick, is expected to return next season. Moore played well at times, but also had his rookie moments. He shouldn’t be guaranteed a starting job in 2026, but I would be surprised if he wasn’t one of the team’s starting safeties.
How can the Jets improve this position?
free agent
There will be a ton of free agents that can immediately make the position stronger and improve a very weak secondary position. Chicago’s Kevin Baird and the Rams’ Cam Cole are arguably the two top options, but there will be plenty of suitors as they look to cash in on their big contracts. Seattle’s Kobe Bryant, the Colts’ Nick Cross and Philadelphia’s Reed Blankenship could also be on the Jets’ radar.
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For a team in dire need of a safety who can force turnovers, Byrd is certainly a player worth pursuing aggressively. He led the league with seven picks last season while opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of 85.3 against him. He turns 33 this August and may prefer to stay in Chicago or go to another Super Bowl contending team.
Cole has been heavily linked to the Jets, but he could also return to the Rams, as the Rams have about $45 million in cap space, which would be enough for him to re-sign. Cole was outstanding last season with two interceptions, a forced fumble and 87 tackles. Opposing quarterbacks gave him a passer grade of just 82.4, while his PFF grade of 73.1 ranked 16thth 98 safe in total.
2026 draft
Ohio State’s Caleb Downs is undoubtedly the best safety in this draft, but it’s unlikely the Jets will select him with the second overall pick. However, the Jets could consider a trade with a team looking to find one of their many pass rushers available, and if they are successful, Towns could be their target. Towns had two interceptions and 44 solo tackles last season and had a combined passer rating of 47.9 from opposing quarterbacks.
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The Jets will certainly address a safety in the second or third day of the draft, with some other available options including LSU’s AJ Haucy, Oregon State’s Dillon Thienemann and Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.
Predictions for 2026 are still too early
The safety position looks completely different than it did last season. Most of the players currently on the roster certainly won’t be back, but it’s possible the Jets could bring back Cisco on another one-year deal because they believe there might not be much of a market for him due to injuries.
The Jets have plenty of cap space to improve their defense, but it’s too early to tell how much they choose to invest in the secondary. They could spend big on Baird or Cole and pair them with Moore. Kansas City’s Brian Cook is also an option, and if the Jets want to bring back an old friend, they could consider signing Ashdin Davis to add depth. Davis spent last season in Miami under new defensive coordinator Brian Duke, and he was always a bit of an underrated player when he was in New York.
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While Towns is attractive in the draft, he will definitely be the No. 2 pick. This selection should be used at a pass rusher or wide receiver. This is a pretty deep draft for safety, a position that could definitely be addressed with one of their Day 2 or 3 picks.
For a defense that struggles with forcing turnovers and taking steals, all options need to be on the table. I expect the Jets to add at least one free agent, but I don’t think they’ll overpay to improve the position. They’ll be counting on Moore to take a big step forward in his second season and add depth through the draft. After a terrible season last year, they can only move up from here. The personnel on the field will definitely get better as Glenn plays on defense and this should be a much-improved unit.
This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: 2026 NFL Offseason: New York Jets Position Breakdown: Safety
