If you want a primer on how quickly things can change in the NFL, the career arc of Jets cornerback Dee Milliner isn’t a bad place to start.
When the Jets took Milliner with the ninth overall pick of the 2013 draft, he was seen as a replacement for the newly departed Darrelle Revis in the starting lineup and the foundation of new General Manager John Idzik’s first draft in charge of the team’s personnel. Fast forward two years and Revis is back with the Jets while Idzik has been ousted from his job in favor of Mike Maccagnan.
As for Milliner? He’s not a starter after two years plagued by injuries, including a torn Achilles last year, and ineffectiveness. If those trends don’t come to an end, defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers suggests a roster spot might be hard to come by in 2015.
“When you look at Dee coming in, you see a guy still kind of working off of an injury, trying to get himself to 100 percent,” Rodgers said, via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. “But as we looked at him, we expect Dee to compete for a position on the roster like everyone else. This was a top-10 pick, and we think he has a lot of ability and we expect him to compete.”
Antonio Cromartie and Buster Skrine joined Revis as free agent acquisitions with the Jets and none of them will be fighting for roster spots. The Jets also have 2014 third-rounder Dexter McDougle returning from a torn ACL to go with Darrin Walls, Marcus Williams and Milliner at corner.
Cimini suggests Milliner could start the year on the PUP list as he continues to return from the Achilles injury and that his $3.7 million in guaranteed money will help him hold onto a roster spot one way or another, but it’s clear that the paths of both Milliner and the Jets have veered significantly from where they were pointed in the first round of the 2013 draft.