Breaking down the New York Jets' roster, unit by unit, in preparation for training camp:
Position: Secondary
Projected starters: Darrelle Revis and Buster Skrine at cornerback; Marcus Gilchrist and Calvin Pryor at safety.
Projected reserves: Marcus Williams, Dee Milliner and Juston Burris at corner; Rontez Miles and Dion Bailey at safety.
Notables on the bubble: Dexter McDougle and Darryl Morris at corner; Ronald Martin at safety.
Top storyline: Antonio Cromartie is gone, so there's an opening opposite Revis. Skrine, who handled the No. 3/slot position last season, is the favorite based on his experience and comfort level in a man-to-man system. Plus, the Jets didn't give him $6.25 million a year to play nickel back for the duration of his contract. Skrine is a physical defender with good ball skills, but his size (5-foot-9) could be a problem against bigger receivers. He has to cut down on his penalties; he led with defense with seven. He'll be challenged by Williams, a ball magnet who recorded a team-high six interceptions in only 244 defensive snaps. When the Jets go to three corners, Skrine will slide inside, with Revis and Williams (or maybe Milliner) on the outside.
Player to watch: Coming off a promising sophomore year, Pryor has a chance to be special if he continues to develop from a cerebral standpoint. As a rookie, he complained because he felt he was used too much at free safety; he prefers strong safety. Guess what? Not much changed last season, but it wasn't an issue because his production increased. Pryor played 323 snaps at free safety, 278 in a strong safety/linebacker position, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information. He'll have to raise his interception total (two) to generate leaguewide buzz.
Training camp will be a success if ...: Revis is healthy, showing no effects from offseason wrist surgery. He makes his living at the line of scrimmage, jamming receivers before they have a chance to get into their routes. If he's limited in any way, it will hurt his overall game because, let's face it, the 31-year-old star isn't fast enough to blanket elite receivers in downfield coverage the way he used to. Revis downplayed the injury, but there's no doubt it affected him last season. He has yet to test his surgically repaired wrist in contact drills.
Wild card: Don't sleep on Milliner. The disappointing former first-round pick, slowed by injuries throughout his career, is poised for a bounce back after an injury-free offseason. It's now or never. The Jets declined his fifth-year option, making it a contract year for Milliner. This is his chance to make a statement. If not, he'll fade away and be remembered with the likes of Kyle Wilson, a former draft bust.
By the numbers: The Jets were in their nickel defense only 41 percent of the time, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information. They might want to use five defensive backs more often because they were really good. They ranked second in Total QBR (34.1), second in completion percentage (56.7) and allowed only nine touchdown passes against 13 interceptions.