The Jets have a decision to make at safety.
The team does not have many position battles this summer, but the starting safety spot next to Minkah Fitzpatrick is a big one, and it was on center stage in Friday’s preseason win over the Steelers.
Dane Belton started the game, indicating he has a leg up in the competition.
Andre Cisco had an interception, giving him a splash play.
Cisco had been ahead of Belton entering training camp, but Belton has been a playmaker all camp and looks like he has taken the lead.
“Listen, we’ve said it was a competition from the very beginning, and those guys know it,” coach Aaron Glenn said. “Man, it’s always good when you have those guys fighting it out, guys making play after play, because we have to make tough decisions. As a coach, you want to be in that position. Even though it’s hard to make those decisions, you want to be in that position because that lets you know the guys are playing well.
“It was a really good pick by Cisco. Dane made a hell of a play on special teams, and we know that’s a strong point for him. We’re going to let it play out and see what happens. But I’m just proud of those guys and how they’re operating. Again, at some point we’ve got to make a decision.”
Belton was signed as a free agent after he stood out on special teams for the Giants.
He is expected to be one of the Jets’ core special-teamers and play on several units.
That might be tough if he is playing 60-70 plays on defense every game.
Cisco was underwhelming last year, but the team re-signed him and he seems to be a coach favorite.
DE Nate Lynn impressed teammates with his two-sack performance against the Steelers.
The Jets only signed Lynn on Tuesday, and there he was on Friday making plays. Lynn had been a free agent since the Titans cut him in April.
“It’s crazy,” DT Harrison Phillips said. “I thought he was like a six-year veteran guy who’s been in the league and played a ton of snaps, just the way he handles himself, the way he was able to pick up the playbook, his energy. It’s crazy to me that a player like that was on the couch. It’s incredible.”
