The New York Jets are rebuilding, and they’ve just been rebuilding. For years. The results, though, haven’t changed. No winning seasons, and the playoffs still feel out of reach. There are plenty of reasons behind it, but one issue keeps standing out: the secondary, especially the safety position. And now Jets legend Damien Woody has made his stance clear: general manager Darren Mougey needs to shift real attention to the safety spot in the upcoming NFL Draft.

“The #Jets have neglected the safety position for too long. Get some damn playmakers back there,” Woody shared via his ‘X’ handle.

The Jets’ issues at safety didn’t start with Aaron Glenn or Mougey. This goes back nearly a decade. The last time the franchise invested true premium draft capital at the position was in 2017, when they used the No. 6 overall pick on Jamal Adams.

Since then, no Jets safety has been selected in the first round. The approach since then has leaned heavily on lower-cost solutions via trades for veterans, modest free-agent contracts, late-round picks, and undrafted players.

Jordan Whitehead arrived in 2022 on a two-year, $14.5 million deal. He posted 89 and 97 combined tackles in his two seasons, along with half a sack, but wasn’t retained. A year later, the Jets traded a seventh-round pick for Chuck Clark. His first season was wiped out by injury. He later signed a one-year deal and is now with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Ashtyn Davis provided the most continuity, spending six seasons in New York before departing for the Miami Dolphins in 2025. But continuity alone isn’t the same as long-term investment. The Jets simply haven’t treated safety as a premium position in roster construction.

And the consequences showed up in 2025. Under Glenn, a defensive-minded head coach, the Jets hit a historic low. They became the first team since interceptions began being officially tracked in 1933 to complete a season without recording a single interception.

Before the regular-season finale, 17 different players had logged snaps in the secondary, but not one came away with a pick. Opposing quarterbacks threw more than 500 passes for 3,674 yards and 36 touchdowns against New York, without throwing an interception heading into the finale.

Even more telling, the 11 projected defensive starters for that game had combined for just four interceptions across their entire NFL careers. So when Woody says the Jets have neglected safety, it’s not hyperbole. It’s a reflection of how the position has been valued or not valued for years.

That’s why the focus now shifts to Mougey and this year’s draft. The Jets hold the No. 2 overall pick, and this class features a top safety prospect. If there was ever a moment to reset how this position is treated, this is it.

Caleb Downs has been linked to Darren Mougey’s Jets in mock drafts

A quarterback at No. 2 once felt realistic for the Jets. That idea faded when Dante Moore chose to return to school instead of entering the NFL Draft. So now the real question becomes: where does New York pivot? At No. 2 overall, conventional thinking points to a premier wide receiver or an elite edge rusher. That’s typically how teams use a pick that high.

But the Jets’ situation isn’t typical. Their most glaring long-term deficiency sits in the secondary. And that’s why Ohio State safety Caleb Downs has started to gain real traction in connection with New York at No. 2.

Mel Kiper, in particular, has expressed confidence that the Jets could go in that direction. Downs, for his part, has made it clear that he spoke with Coach Glenn and the organization at the NFL Combine. And the safety isn’t shying away from the spotlight that comes with those projections.

“My confidence level is always at the highest when I’m on the field,” Downs said. “The belief in myself really never goes down, no matter the circumstance. I feel my mind puts me above a lot of people in terms of how I process the game and play with instincts, and I feel that’s what makes me special.”

And statistically, that confidence isn’t empty. Downs began his college career at Alabama, finishing his lone season there with 70 solo tackles and 107 total tackles. He then transferred to Ohio State for his sophomore year, where his impact expanded.

In 2024, he posted career highs with 7.5 tackles for loss and six pass breakups. Last season was his most productive in terms of takeaways, with two interceptions and two forced fumbles. He also contributed in the return game, logging 10 punt returns across the 2023 and 2024 seasons, two of which he returned for touchdowns.

The résumé is legitimate. The projections are gaining momentum. Whether the Jets actually pull the trigger at No. 2 will ultimately depend on how Darren Mougey evaluates the positional value of safety, and whether this is finally the draft where New York decides to treat it as a priority.