The Jets have agreed to terms with cornerback Isaiah Oliver on a one-year deal, per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network. Oliver, who spent the 2023 campaign with the 49ers after a five-year run with the Falcons, was released by San Francisco last month. 
This is the second move to fortify the defensive backfield that New York has made today, as reports on the club’s one-year agreement with safety Chuck Clark surfaced a little over an hour before the Oliver news. As The Athletic’s Matt Barrow observes, New York is adding the latter with the intention of also using him at safety. Oliver spent time practicing at that spot toward the end of his 49ers tenure.
The 27-year-old was brought to San Francisco to man the slot corner role, but things did not go according to plan in that regard. Oliver allowed a completion percentage of 84% and a passer rating of 101 as the nearest defender in 2023. He also surrendered three touchdowns in coverage, and those factors no doubt informed San Francisco’s decision to move on. Oliver will be reunited with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich with this move, after the pair worked together in Atlanta.
The Jets have Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed in place as cornerback starters; rather than joining that tandem in the slot, Oliver will aim to carve out a role on the backend. Clark’s new deal will provide the Jets with a first-team option at one safety spot, and Oliver could compete for the other one. Jordan Whitehead – who started all 17 games in each of the past two seasons after signing with New York in 2022 – is a pending free agent.
New York entered Sunday with nearly $21MM in cap space, flexibility which will be useful this week once the legal tampering begins and free agency opens two days later. It will be interesting to see if Whitehead is retained given the Oliver acquisition, but the latter could serve as experienced depth if another starter is also brought in. In any case, Oliver will aim to rebuild his value in 2024 after a disappointing one-and-done tenure in the Bay Area.
Rory Parks contributed to this post.
I think they’re moving on from Whitehead. Outside of one great three-interception game to start the season, his performance was pretty dismal.