Memo to the national media: Not every free agent with a recognizable name is a fit for the New York Jets.<\/p>\n
It seems the cap-space-laden Jets<\/a> are being linked to every notable free agent. That\u2019s not how free agency works, though.<\/p>\n The Jets need to be wise with their cap space. Just because they have spending power, it does not mean they should hold each dollar any less preciously than a team with minimal cap space.<\/p>\n We already debunked FOX Sports\u2019 claim<\/a> that the Jets should dole out $16 million per year to Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright. Now, it\u2019s time to squash another silly connection between the Jets and a free agent cornerback.<\/p>\n Riq Woolen to the Jets makes little sense<\/p>\n ESPN\u2019s Matt Bowen recently named<\/a> the Jets as the \u201cbest team fit\u201d for Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Jets allowed 57 completions of 20 or more yards in 2025, seventh most in the league. Adding Woolen, a 6-foot-5 corner with high-end physical tools and speed, fits under coach Aaron Glenn\u2019s defense,\u201d writes Bowen. \u201cThis unit wants to play man coverage, and Woolen has 12 interceptions and 36 pass breakups in his four-year career in Seattle. I also like the Commanders as a fit.\u201d<\/p>\n While projecting Woolen as an ideal fit for Aaron Glenn\u2019s man-heavy defense may make sense in theory, the evidence at our disposal suggests otherwise.<\/p>\n Woolen hails from one of the NFL\u2019s zone-heaviest defenses in Seattle. Under head coach Mike Macdonald in 2025, the Seahawks ranked third in the NFL with an 80.4% zone coverage rate, per Sharp Football Analysis.<\/p>\n New York was on the opposite end of the spectrum, placing 31st with a 62.5% zone coverage rate. That rate should be expected to drop even further in 2026. The Jets parted ways with defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, who prefers zone coverage, and they are expected to hand the defensive reins to Glenn, who used zone just 52.3% of the time<\/a> in 2024 as the Lions\u2019 DC.<\/p>\n While it seems plausible to project that Woolen\u2019s lengthy frame might project well into a man-heavy scheme, the reality is that Woolen has not been productive on his rare man coverage reps in Seattle. There is a reason Macdonald has valued Woolen as a starter in his defense: he is at his best in zone.<\/p>\n According to Pro Football Focus, over the last two seasons, Woolen posted a mediocre 59.7 coverage grade in man, compared to a solid 67.3 coverage grade in zone. For perspective, those numbers represent the difference between the 33rd and 57th-best cornerbacks in 2025 (out of 85 qualifiers).<\/p>\n The main difference in Woolen\u2019s performance based on the coverage call is his playmaking. His overall coverage output is similar between both styles, but there is a drastic change in the peaks and valleys.<\/p>\n Since 2024, Woolen has allowed a similar rate of yards per completion between man (10.2) and zone (10.7). However, he\u2019s given up a 6-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio in man, compared to 0-to-3 in zone.<\/p>\n The Jets\u2019 defense allowed a 36-to-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2025. They desperately need defenders who can both generate interceptions and protect the end zone in a scheme that will consistently ask them to hold up on an island. Woolen has struggled in both areas as a man coverage defender.<\/p>\n It is also worth noting that Glenn prefers physical cornerbacks who can help support the run defense, as evidenced by the Lions\u2019 draft selections of players like Terrion Arnold and Brian Branch during Glenn\u2019s tenure. Woolen does not fit this bill. For his career, Woolen has an abysmal missed tackle rate of 19%, including a horrific 28.4% in the run game.<\/p>\n Granted, he performed better over the last two seasons, missing just 7.4% of his tackle opportunities in the run game. However, Macdonald\u2019s scheme did a good job of hiding him in that phase.<\/p>\n Since Macdonald took over in 2024, Woolen has made a measly 23 tackles in the run game, just 0.7 per game across 31 appearances. Compare that to the Jets\u2019 top starting corner in 2025, Brandon Stephens, who made 29 run-game tackles in 16 games (1.8 per game) and missed just three tackles (9.4% miss rate).<\/p>\n Woolen does not excel in man coverage and cannot be trusted to support the run defense. Pursuing him would make little sense for the Jets given the requirements of their defensive scheme.<\/p>\n Here are two free agent corners who make more sense.<\/p>\n Ideal alternatives<\/p>\n These free agent cornerbacks provide the man coverage production and reliable run support that Glenn covets at the position.<\/p>\n Jaylen Watson, Chiefs<\/p>\n A 2022 seventh-round pick of the Chiefs, Jaylen Watson served as a backup over his first two seasons, stepping up for eight regular season starts and all three playoff starts in Kansas City\u2019s 2022 championship run (making two interceptions). He was elevated to a full-time starting role on the outside in 2024.<\/p>\n Textbook stuff here from Jaylen Watson. Runs vertically with the receiver, squeezes him to the sideline, and most importantly, turns his head to locate the ball. <\/p>\n Pick 243 is a stud. pic.twitter.com\/8ciXb0FWqL<\/a><\/p>\n