As the Jets pared down their roster today to the requisite 53 players, they had to consider one factor they hoped would not be relevant at this point: the absence of All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis.
"Darrelle is not here, and we’ve planned accordingly," general manager Mike Tannenbaum said on a conference call with reporters. "We feel good about our depth at corner. We have six guys that can help us, and that’s the group we’re going to be moving forward with."
Revis, of course, has been holding out since Aug. 1 for a new contract. The Jets and Revis’ agents have not found common ground during more than seven months of negotiations, and while there has been a media blackout since mid-August, there have been no indications that a resolution is near.
Tannenbaum cited the confidentiality agreement when asked if he was shocked Revis was still not here, or if he still had hope the top cornerback would return by the Sept. 13 opener.
With the Jets’ Monday Night Football debut just nine days away, the Jets have six cornerbacks not named Revis on their 53-man roster: Antonio Cromartie, Kyle Wilson, Dwight Lowery, Drew Coleman, Marquice Cole and Brian Jackson. Revis is on the reserve/did not report list and does not count toward the 53.
The Jets remain our number one defense, but if you still have a draft coming up, don't reach for them. Draft them in the range of where a defense should be drafted, not earlier.