Joe Douglas solved a lot of problems with the Jets roster so far this offseason. He added weapons on offense, bolstered the defensive line and added some solid depth pieces across the team.

One thing Douglas has failed to do so far, though, is fix Gang Green’s secondary. The Jets have a good trio of safeties in Marcus Maye, Lamarcus Joyner and Ashtyn Davis, but they don’t have a viable cornerback unit. 

We’ll brush aside the obvious quarterback conundrum for now – that question likely won’t be answered until the Jets trade Sam Darnold or they make their No. 2 overall selection. In the meantime, the cornerback situation remains the biggest area of concern with just a month before the 2021 draft.

Fortunately, it’s a fixable issue for Douglas given the bevy of options left in free agency and the prospects likely to be available with the Nos. 23 and 34 overall picks.

The Jets cannot enter the 2021 season with their current cornerback depth chart. It’s filled exclusively with young players with little to no experience. 

Bless Austin and Bryce Hall are the best returning corners from 2020. They combined for just 83 tackles and one interception in 17 starts last season. While they’re both decent players, neither performed exceptionally well. Both allowed at least 61 percent of catches when targeted at least 11 yards per reception, according to PlayerProfiler.com. Neither eclipsed at least a 60 Pro Football Focus grade, either. Hall finished with a 59.9 grade, while Hall had a 51.5 grade. 

The rest of the unit is even less prepared. Lamar Jackson, Javelin Guidry, Kyron Brown, Zane Lewis and Elijah Campbell are all former undrafted free agents, while Corey Ballentine and Saquan Hampton are former sixth-round picks from other teams. The newest cornerback, Justin Hardee, is a special teams ace who had one defensive snap in 2020 and only 115 in the past three seasons.

This is an unacceptable group for Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich to work with next season. Their defense looks good on paper, but the glaring holes at cornerback could expose the Jets if they aren’t filled before the season starts. Douglas can’t exclusively rely on the draft, either, considering how young the unit is already. Could a rookie start on the outside in Week 1? Sure. It’s happened before. But the Jets would be better off with at least one veteran on the depth chart to help the rest of the unit develop better.

Despite a dearth of star cornerbacks left on the market, Douglas should grab one of the cheaper options left in free agency as an initial starter. He wisely didn’t overpay for players like Troy Hill, William Jackson or Adoree Jackson. Kyle Fuller signed with Denver to play for his former coach. 

Richard Sherman is the flashiest available name, and he has a connection to Saleh and Ulbrich from his time with the 49ers and Seahawks. Former Steelers cornerback Steven Nelson would be a great option, as would veterans Casey Hayward, A.J. Bouye or Nickell Robey-Coleman. The easiest solution, though, would be to bring back Brian Poole, who was the Jets’ best cornerback the past two seasons and would maintain a level of continuity in the secondary. He’s not an outside cornerback, but he’d at least elevate the rest of the unit if Ulbrich is forced to rely on Austin and Hall again.

Ideally, Douglas would pair one of those veteran free agents with a rookie to create a solid four-man rotation at cornerback. The Jets likely won’t use the No. 2 pick on a cornerback – either because they use it on a quarterback or because there are better players at other positions at the top of the draft – but they could easily draft one with one of their later picks. One of Greg Newsome II, Asante Samuel Jr., Kelvin Joseph or Tyson Campbell should be available with the 23rd or 34th overall pick, while players like Tay Gowan, Aaron Robinson, Eric Stokes and Ifeatu Melifonwu are potential picks for either of the Jets’ third-round picks at Nos. 66 and 87.

The Jets should be able to fill out their cornerback depth chart with better options than the ones currently on the roster. Hall and Austin could magically turn into a fearsome duo down the stretch, but that’s a risk Douglas shouldn’t take for the first year of the Saleh era.