The Jets awakened from their recent free-agent slumber with a pair of moves Tuesday, adding journeyman cornerback Dimitri Patterson and speedy receiver-kick returner Jacoby Ford.
Patterson, 31, signed a one-year, $3 million deal, according to a league source, and jumps from the rival Dolphins. The Jets are the sixth NFL stop for Patterson, a former undrafted free agent who also has played for the Redskins, Chiefs, Eagles and Browns.
The 5-foot-11, 196-pound Patterson is coming off one of the best stints of his career. He had four interceptions in the Dolphins’ first six games before being sidelined the rest of the season by a groin injury.
“I was happy with what I was able to put on tape, even though it wasn’t in an ideal fashion,” Patterson said, according to a statement released by the team. “But at the end of the day, I was able to show, when I was on tape, that I can play at a high level, I can handle the top receivers. All in all, I made the most of it.”
Patterson gives the Jets much-needed veteran depth at cornerback and will compete for a starting job opposite Dee Milliner in the wake of general manager John Idzik’s decision not to re-sign Antonio Cromartie.
Meanwhile, it wasn’t DeSean Jackson, but the Jets also added some speed to their receiving corps and return units Tuesday by signing the oft-injured Ford to a one-year deal.
Ford, an accomplished sprinter who is one of the fastest players in the NFL, had visited the team in free agency this week along with Patterson and former Chargers guard Rich Ohrnberger.
The biggest concern about Ford is his health. His speed appeared to suffer after he had surgery in 2012 to repair a Lisfranc injury in his foot.
Ford, 26, was a fourth-round pick by the Raiders in 2010 out of Clemson. His career receiving totals are modest — 57 catches for 848 yards and three touchdowns in 38 games — but Ford returned four kickoffs for scores in his first two seasons with Oakland and has a career 25-yard average in that department.
Ford was barely a factor for the Raiders on offense last year, catching just nine passes for 77 yards in 14 games, but he provides depth and competition at arguably the Jets’ thinnest position.
Ford is the second receiver Gang Green has signed this offseason after they gave former Bronco Eric Decker a five-year, $36.25 million deal last month.