This time around, DJ Reid avoided historical comparisons to the greatest teams of all time.
He didn’t mention the 1985 Bears defense or the Seahawks’ “Legion of Boom” secondary like he did last September, when offseason expectations, the “Hard Knocks” spotlight and the untouched nature of the 2022 returning defense were hot topics even before Week 1 began.
But Reid, who began his career with the 49ers and watched the team reach the Super Bowl as a reserve in 2019, didn’t hesitate when asked about the Jets’ limitations this year.
They still have Aaron Rodgers.
The defense returns most of its top players, including its top two cornerbacks in Reid and Sauce Gardner.
There were hopes, expectations and dreams for the Super Bowl last year, and 12 months later, they remain the same.
“This team is definitely [49ers] “The trajectory is great,” Reid said Saturday after the Jets’ training camp practice at Florham Park.
Reid said the offense will likely be better than the 49ers’ offense that went to the Super Bowl, which featured quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, top targets George Kittle and Deebo Samuel and a trio of running backs — Raheem Mostert, Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman — who each had more than 500 yards on the ground.
The chemistry between Gang Green’s Rodgers and Garrett Wilson was on display again during camp, including when they worked together in an 11-on-11 game on Saturday, or at least tried to work together on other occasions.
Wide receiver Allen Lazard, who struggled last year without Jets point guard Rodgers, is also “playing great,” Reid said.
And all of this has unfolded without No. 2 wide receiver Mike Williams, who began training camp on the physically unable to play list as he continues to recover from a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
“Having him come in could completely change things for the better,” Reid said of Williams.
For Reid, if the offense can play well and stay healthy, it will ease the pressure on a defense that was nearly flawless last season with Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle and Trevor Simian taking turns as playmakers.
That was tough for Reid.
It’s really tough. “I’m not gonna lie,” he said.
He said Reid and the defense will go into the game knowing that if they allow a touchdown “we’re going to lose this game.”
There was pressure to score defensively.
Considering the Jets have scored 20 or more points just four times in 2023, there was certainly pressure to not allow opponents to score.
“Playing like that is mentally tough,” Reid said, “especially at cornerback.”
But with Rodgers recovering from a torn Achilles, the Jets defense may have a better chance of holding on to leads this season.
In that case, the opposing team would be forced to throw the ball, giving Reed, Gardner and the safety a chance to “bait” an interception rather than constantly running a four-minute offense and wasting more and more time.
Reed, who is in the final year of his contract in 2024 and has previously said the Jets will decide whether to extend his contract in the future, recorded one interception last year and has recorded nine or more passes defended for three consecutive years.
He’ll be paired again with Gardner, a third-year All-Pro cornerback, and has already been tasked in practice with trying to limit the Rodgers-Wilson combination, which coincides with Reid working on his pressing technique.
“Man, it was a battle,” Reid said about guarding Rodgers and Wilson, “but it’s going to make me better at the end of the day.”
Rodgers said earlier this week that the Jets’ goal remains New Orleans, where the Super Bowl will be held in February.
Reid has been to the season finale before, coming within 11 points of winning the championship when San Francisco lost to the Chiefs, and he believes the Jets have the talent to get there.
“So we just want to keep doing that,” Reid said, “and if we do that, we definitely have a chance to win it.”
