How will Jordan Whitehead fit into the Jets’ system?

The Jets’ safety position has undergone a complete overhaul over the past few seasons. Starting with pro bowler Jamal Adams forcing himself out and culminating with Marcus Maye’s exit in free agent earlier this month.

As a result, the position was in flux throughout the 2021 season. Seven different players started at least one game at safety, with two others seeing rotational reps at the position. The Jets will be looking for more stability in their secondary in 2022 and are hopeful that signing Jordan Whitehead to a two-year deal will be a step in the right direction.

Whitehead, who is four years younger than Maye, signed a deal worth a reported $7 million per season, which was considerably less than what Maye received from New Orleans. Statistically, their production has been similar but Maye is coming off a serious injury and facing a possible suspension in 2022.

Encouragingly, Whitehead has only missed six games in his first four seasons, so the Jets will hope he provides them with more durability than they got from their safeties in 2021. He also comes from a winning organization, having won the Super Bowl at the end of the 2020 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and made the postseason last year.

Whitehead tends to be at his best in run support, which would be a boost to the Jets run defense that was statistically one of the worst in the NFL in 2021. Thanks in large part due to mistakes made in the secondary leading to long runs. In four seasons, Whitehead has racked up 22 tackles for loss, which compares favorably to Maye who only had nine in five seasons.

His hard-hitting style can also be an asset in coverage, where he has improved dramatically over the past few seasons. In 2021, Whitehead didn’t give up a 25-yard catch all season and has intercepted five passes and broken up another 25 in his career.

Tampa Bay would typically play with two deep safeties over the past few years, perhaps limiting Whitehead’s…