As the Jets get close to training camp, I am going to examine the roster and give you my top 25 players. Each weekday we will reveal another person on the list, leading right into camp. I am not including rookies on this list because I do not feel it is possible to fully evaluate them before they play a game.Â
No. 24: Antonio Allen
Last year’s ranking: Unranked
Position: Safety
Age: 25
How acquired: Selected in the seventh round of the 2012 Draft
Years left on contract: 2
2014 salary cap figure: $570,000
Looking back at 2013: Allen won the starting safety spot next to Dawan Landry out of training camp, and he had some good moments in his first year as a starter. The highlight of the season was his interception of Tom Brady that he returned for a touchdown in the Jets’ win over the Patriots at MetLife Stadium.
Allen played close to the line of scrimmage in college and still struggles in space. He had a rough game against the Bengals, who torched the Jets secondary. Allen was better when he was asked to cover tight ends. He did a relatively nice job against the Saints’ Jimmy Graham, a tough assignment.
The Jets signed Ed Reed last November, severely cutting into Allen’s playing time. He barely played at all during the first few weeks Reed was on the team. Once the Jets realized Reed was no longer an every-down player, Allen’s playing time went up, but not to where it was.
Outlook for 2014: The Jets took Calvin Pryor in the first round, giving them a few options at the safety position. During OTAs, Pryor and Allen played alongside each other. Rex Ryan claims that is only to help the two young players improve their communication, something veteran Dawan Landry does not need to worry about. We’ll see if there is more to it than that.
Even if Allen loses his starting spot to Pryor, he figures to play a significant amount. Ryan and defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman like using three safeties, and they may have to do it even more this year to compensate for the lack of depth at cornerback.
Allen made some strides in 2013, but clearly the Jets were looking for more at the position when they brought in Reed last year. Now, they used their first-round pick on a safety. How it impacts Allen will be one of the main storylines of training camp.