Ashtyn Davis

Jets S Chuck Clark In Line For Starting Role

Last offseason, the Jets acquired Chuck Clark via trade but he was sidelined for the entire year due to an ACL tear. The veteran safety was re-signed in March, though, allowing him to compete for a starting role.

The free agent departure of Jordan Whitehead created a first-team vacancy at the safety position, and New York held an open competition between Clark, Tony Adams and Ashtyn Davis during the spring. One of the latter two will also hold down a starting spot, but Clark is on track to log full-time defensive duties in 2024. The 29-year-old is firmly in the lead atop the depth chart entering training camp, Brian Costello of the New York Post writes.

Clark was expected to log significant defensive snaps (in addition to a large special teams workload) upon arrival last year, but his ACL tear occurred during OTAs. That injury – the first major one of his career – limited his market value, and it came as no surprise when he took a low-cost deal to remain in New York. The former sixth-rounder inked a one-year, $2MM pact to play for the Jets in 2024.

Adams took on a first-team role in Clark’s absence during the 2023 campaign. While he collected three interceptions and five pass deflections across 15 games, Costello notes some within the organization sought better consistency from the former UDFA. Adams, 25, held down a first-team role during the spring and as such he should be expected to handle a heavy workload again this season.

Costello adds that Davis could still unseat Clark for a first-team spot, and like all other positions training camp could lead to changes on the depth chart. Still, the latter is a veteran of 63 starts, and he was a mainstay on the backend for the Ravens from 2019-22. Davis (who re-signed on a one-year deal in April) has made 21 starts in his career, but only five of those have come in the past two seasons. He should still be in line for a rotational defensive workload and a key special teams role even if Clark stays ahead of him in the race for a starting spot.

Latest On Jets’ Depth At Safety

The Jets will have a trio of players compete for their two starting safety spots. Coach Robert Saleh told reporters (including ESPN’s Rich Cimini) that the Jets will have an open competition at the position, with Chuck Clark, Tony Adams, and Ashtyn Davis competing for the two starting roles.

With two-year starter Jordan Whitehead having returned to Tampa Bay, there is some uncertainty atop the positional depth chart. Adams got the longest look of the trio in 2023, having started all 15 of his appearances while compiling 82 tackles and three interceptions. However, Pro Football Focus only ranked him as a middle-of-the-road safety (41st among 95 qualifiers), and the former UDFA doesn’t have the resume to justify a definitive starting nod.

Davis saw a progressively larger role as the 2023 season went on, and while he didn’t earn enough snaps to qualify for PFF’s leader board, he would have graded out as a top-20 safety. The former third-round pick has seen an inconsistent role through his first four seasons in the NFL, starting 21 of his 54 appearances in New York. However, he’s become a favorite of Saleh, and the team showed some trust in the defensive back when they re-signed him this offseason.

“It is funny, all Ashtyn does is find the ball,” Saleh said last season (via the team’s website). “I am a big fan of his. He has done nothing but work. He was a valuable and very underrated piece of this defense. The way he goes about his business and the way he works, that play embodies everything that he represents for this defense.”

Clark is the true wildcard, as the veteran is coming off a torn ACL that ended his 2023 season before it began. Clark was a consistent starter during his final few years in Baltimore, and while the Jets didn’t give up a whole lot to acquire the veteran last offseason, they were still counting on the former 100-tackle defender to lead their safeties room.

The Jets will also be welcoming a new player to the position grouping. According to Brian Costello of the New York Post, Isaiah Oliver is moving to the safeties room. After spending the first five seasons of his career in Atlanta, Oliver spent the 2023 campaign in San Francisco, serving as the 49ers’ nickelback. He started six of his 17 appearances, finishing with 67 tackles and one interception. He’ll be competing with the likes of 2023 sixth-round pick Jarrick Bernard-Converse and 2024 seventh-round pick Jaylen Key for one of the final spots on the depth chart.

Jets Re-Sign S Ashtyn Davis

APRIL 15: Davis’ one-year pact is worth $2.7MM, ESPN’s Rich Cimini reports. Notably, he adds that only $167K of that figure is guaranteed. A strong season on defense in particular (should he see the field often) would no doubt help his market ahead of free agency next offseason, though.

APRIL 11: Rather than heading elsewhere in search of more playing time, Ashtyn Davis is set to remain in New York for 2024. The rotational safety and special teams mainstay is re-signing with the Jets, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. The deal is now official, per a team announcement.

As Garafolo notes, Davis drew interest from outside teams during his first trip to the open market in his career. He has elected to remain where he played out his rookie contract, though, allowing himself the opportunity to continue playing under head coach Robert Saleh and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich in the process. SNY’s Connor Hughes notes New York remained open to a re-signing throughout free agency.

Davis, 27, started 16 games across his first two seasons in the league. Since, then, however, he has primarily been relegated to special teams duties. Logging a 19% snap share on defense in 2023, the former third-rounder notched new career highs in interceptions (three) and pass deflections (eight). He could have parlayed that production into a deal with a new team providing a clearer path to a first-team role, though playing time could still come his way with New York.

The Jets have Tony Adams and Chuck Clark in the fold at the safety spot. The latter missed all of last season due to a torn ACL, but he re-upped with New York on a one-year deal this offseason. The team saw Jordan Whitehead depart on the open market when he returned to the Buccaneers. That, coupled with Davis’ uncertain status, led to questions about New York’s depth on the backend heading into the draft.

Now, though, the Cal alum’s return to the fold will give the Jets a familiar face in sub packages and on special teams. Davis has racked up six interceptions and four fumble recoveries during his career, and improvements in coverage led to a career-high PFF grade of 74.7 last year. Building off that strong play during training camp could open the door to a starting defensive spot for the 2024 campaign.

The Jets entered Thursday with just $1.43MM in cap space, the second-lowest figure in the league and one which will be insufficient to afford the team’s rookie class. It will be interesting to see how lucrative this Davis pact is, and how the team will proceed with other financial priorities in the near future.

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 12/30/21

Here are Thursday’s reserve/COVID-19 list updates:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

  • Activated from virus list: OL Cody Ford, CB Cam Lewis
  • Activated from practice squad virus list: TE Quintin Morris

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

  • Placed on practice squad virus list: LB Omari Cobb

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

NFL COVID List Updates: 12/22/21

We’ve compiled a list of players who were placed or activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list today. In some instances (including Christian McCaffrey and Travis Etienne), players activated from the list remain on IR:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Placed on list: T Le’Raven Clark

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/2/21

Here is Saturday’s batch of minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

  • Promoted: CB Cam Lewis

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC East

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These BillsDolphinsJets and Patriots moves are noted below.

Here are Wednesday’s AFC East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.

Buffalo Bills

Signed:

Placed on IR: 

Signed to practice squad:

Miami Dolphins

Claimed:

Waived: 

Signed to practice squad:

New England Patriots

Claimed:

Waived: 

Signed to practice squad:

New York Jets

Claimed:

Re-signed:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/23/21

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Arizona Cardinals

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

  • Signed: CB Cre’Von LeBlanc
  • Waived: DE Nick Coe, LS Rex Sunahara

New England Patriots

  • Signed: TE David Wells

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/12/20

Here is Saturday’s usual barrage of minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

  • Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Jachai Polite; Polite tested positive for the coronavirus, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (via Twitter)

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Jets Sign Ashtyn Davis, Wrap Draft Class

That’s a wrap. The Jets have inked third-round safety Ashtyn Davis to his rookie contract to round out their 2020 draft class (Twitter link via Manish Mehta of the Daily News).

[RELATED: Jets Willing To Trade Adams]

Davis, a Cal product, underwent core muscle surgery just before the draft. However, he’s expected to be 100% healthy by Week 1.

Safety seems to be Davis’ most likely position in the pros, but he also spent time at cornerback early in his collegiate career. The former walk-on is ready, willing, and even eager to line up at different spots in Gregg Williams‘ defense.

I think I can contribute anywhere they put me. I’m comfortable on the outside and inside, whatever the case may be,” Davis said. “After my first year of playing safety, I wanted to know every position and not just my responsibility. That way if someone went down they could put me in.”

Per the terms of his slot, Davis has received a four-year, $4.9MM deal. Here’s the full rundown of the Jets’ nine-man freshman class, via PFR’s tracker:

1-11: Mekhi Becton, T (Louisville): Signed
2-59: Denzel Mims, WR (Baylor): Signed
3-68: Ashtyn Davis, S (California): Signed
3-79: Jabari Zuniga, DE (Florida): Signed
4-120: Lamical Perine, RB (Florida): Signed
4-125: James Morgan, QB (Florida International): Signed
4-129: Cameron Clark, OT (Charlotte): Signed
5-158: Bryce Hall, CB (Virginia): Signed
6-191: Braden Mann, P (Texas A&M): Signed