What Will Happen to New York Jets CB Dwight Lowery?

[Kentucky Jet]

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May 03, 2010

What Will Happen to New York Jets CB Dwight Lowery? by Zach Berger

In the 2008 NFL Draft, the Jets snagged San Jose State cornerback Dwight Lowery in the fourth round. With an injury to Justin Miller at the start of the following season, the rookie was asked to step up and play opposite Darrelle Revis. Lowery was extremely successful early in the season, eventually faltering in the second half as quarterbacks began to test him more.

This past season, Lowery was given another opportunity to prove himself as a starter. Once again he had varied success and was not consistent, but to be a starting cornerback on a team that is ranked #1 overall in pass defense definitely means something. Then again, the fact that you could put a lot of the blame for the Jets exit in the playoffs on him means even more.

Peyton Manning absolutely destroyed Dwight Lowery in the second half of the 2010 AFC Championship game. He kept picking on him and Gang Green completely deflated, allowed a flurry of unanswered scores. The Jets couldn't go into the 2010 season without a new option at cornerback, so they traded for Antonio Cromartie. Definitely a smart move football-wise and image-wise.

So at that point you would still expect to see Lowery get some playing time. He deserved another shot and it looked like the team would give him one, but obviously it would be limited. They then drafted Kyle Wilson. That showed that the Jets have zero confidence in Lowery, even if he would be playing in a limited role. I can't say with any certainty that he will even be on the roster this year. And that's where it gets interesting.

Lowery will be fighting for a spot on the roster. Along with Drew Coleman and Marquice Cole, Lowery will not be guaranteed anything and will have to earn his pay in 2010. He might be much more valuable as a Special Teams player in the coming season because he is a fairly good tackler. Coverage might not be his calling unfortunately. With some more development there is still a chance that Lowery can break out and be a solid cornerback, but he might have to go the Vernon Gholston route and help with kick coverage unfortunately. I'd rather see him get a shot at cornerback for another team. I think he deserve it and I hope that someone recognizes that.

Lowery has definitely done enough to prove that he has potential. He has garnered some respect over the last two seasons. I don't doubt that there are teams in this league who would love to give him a shot, especially teams that are wearing thin at the position. Do the Jets drop him? If so I can guarantee he will be signed. Do the Jets trade him? They wouldn't get much but he is essentially dead weight with three solid cornerbacks already on the roster. I definitely expect him to be moved this offseason, so we'll see if I'm right.

[Larz]

I think he is on the bubble for sure

but rex loves corners and will keep as many as he can

[villain_the_foe]

Lowery will be fine.

[GREENBEAN]

I think Coleman goes before Lowery. As a fourth CB he's much better than what you would usually find there.

If they could get something solid... like a quality DE reserve or something, I think he goes, but othr than that, he'll be on the team in 2010 I believe.

[Jetsfan80]

I disagree with the writer that they have "no confidence" in him. They just don't have faith that he can go up against an elite offense and hold his own, which we all knew before that AFC Title game. With Lito and Strickland hurt, he was put into a near-impossible situation.

As a dime corner and depth guy, he gives us everything we could ask for. If anyone should be worried, its Drew Coleman. If Lowery looked bad against Indy, Coleman looked God-awful.

[ZachEY]

He'll make the Hall Of Fame.

[Vudu]

He's better than Drew Coleman.

[Bruce Banner]

He's better than Drew Coleman.

Still don't get how Coleman stays on the team.

[Bleedin Green]

I think he is on the bubble for sure

but rex loves corners and will keep as many as he can

I think he's fine for the time being. Lowery is clearly the team's #4 CB, which in today's NFL is a lot more important than it ever used to be. Plus if any injury is to occur, he'll be the first guy in line for more playing time. Until they can prove otherwise he's still well ahead of both Coleman and Cole on the CB depth chart and unless one of the undrafted rookies steps up big time, all three of these guys could very easily be on the team once again. Consider that Lowery is actually no further down the depth chart than he was at the start of last year, the only difference is that he kept working his way up last year due to injuries of those ahead of him. Last year he was behind Revis, Sheppard and Strickland, and now its Revis, Cromartie and Wilson. If anything, at least in this case he's depth behind guys who should be significantly better than those he backed up last year. Nothing has really changed unless somebody else steps up in camp and outplays him. And if that's the case, then he'll have earned being cut.

[Bleedin Green]

Still don't get how Coleman stays on the team.

A combination of special teams and the fact that as a #5 CB, he hasn't exactly faced stiff competition for his job. Each year his challenge is to fend off undrafted rookies and if they aren't clearly better than him, his special teams play will keep him his job for sure, considering that's where a CB buried that deep on the depth chart will see most of his playing time anyway. Hell, Coleman's only real extended action on defense last year came in one game where one of the CB's above him got benched and two more were hurt (even if one of them did come back).

[SenorGato]

He'll end up taking snaps from Pool probably, but for now it's safe to say he's going to battle the rookie for the nickel job. I hope he wins...Lowery's a good player if he's used right/can carve himself a niche within the D.

[Ghost]

Lowery will be fine.

I like you, man. But one thing I don't understand about you is the love you have towards Lowery. I know he wasn't a 1st round pick and isn't supposed to be great, but he's one of the worst corners in the league. He'll probably be fine now, because he's playing against team's 4th best receiver. We'll see how he does this year.

[Greenranger]

He'll be fine in the dime. But Coleman maybe on the outside looking in.

[BroadwayJoe12]

As long as Rex keeps referring to "the four guys we've got" or with "the four corners that we have" etc. Than I'm pretty sure he's gonna be fine. He'll play our dime and serve as a good backup to Wilson. Rex clearly likes him as our 4th cb, far be it for me to disagree.

[PS17]

Lowery gets a bad rap on here. He'll be more than fine as the fourth CB in this defense.

[Thai Jet]

Lowery will be fine.

Agreed. He's a good CB, not great mind you but decent . You NEVER have enough good CB's IMHO.

[villain_the_foe]

He'll make the Hall Of Fame.

+1

[AFJF]

Move him to safety or let him go. He doesn't have the speed to keep up with top notch WRs.

[villain_the_foe]

I like you, man. But one thing I don't understand about you is the love you have towards Lowery. I know he wasn't a 1st round pick and isn't supposed to be great, but he's one of the worst corners in the league. He'll probably be fine now, because he's playing against team's 4th best receiver. We'll see how he does this year.

lol. Lowery tries and I can respect that. Look at JaMarcus Russell for example. #1 pick, all the talent in the world, yet cant respect his talent nor the game. Now Lowery, 4th rounder, small school, isnt the biggest, isnt the fastest, but his heart is in it. He studies the game, he tries to get better. How could I not root for a guy like that? You cant break a man down that refuses to lose because losing is when you get knocked down but you're scared to get back up. Many people here trash Lowery but I've never seen this dude take a play off. I always see him give it his all. So in that case all he has to do is further learn the game because everything else is there.

Lowery being torched in the AFC championship just game him yet another reason to get even better. Besides, you cant get beat by a better QB...so everyone else is a downgrade. Lowery will be fine and he will earn his #4 CB spot and be humbled by the opportunity to even play the game professionally....many players have lost that respect.

[villain_the_foe]

Move him to safety or let him go. He doesn't have the speed to keep up with top notch WRs.

I think he'd be good at safety. My thing is if he cant play in the box then Rex wont do it. One thing I can say is that Lowery is a sure tackler. Its rare that you break one of his tackles.

[Thai Jet]

He'll be fine in the dime. But Coleman maybe on the outside looking in.

Lowrey's twice the CB as Coleman. I think Coleman's a goner IMHO.

[#27TheDominator]

I think it's Drew Coleman that gets the bad rap around here. The guy isn't a very good CB and Lowery is better overall. OTOH, I'm pretty sure Coleman is better in the slot. It seemed to me that Rex was using Coleman exclusively in the slot. They probably will be using Wilson in that role now and that is for the best, but I think Lowery is missing the quickness necessary to step in there and cover that underneath crap. IF you think he got scorched by Indy, just imagine him covering Welker.

Drew Coleman has been extrememly successful for a 7th round pick.

[CoachTsurfing]

A combination of special teams and the fact that as a #5 CB, he hasn't exactly faced stiff competition for his job. Each year his challenge is to fend off undrafted rookies and if they aren't clearly better than him, his special teams play will keep him his job for sure, considering that's where a CB buried that deep on the depth chart will see most of his playing time anyway. Hell, Coleman's only real extended action on defense last year came in one game where one of the CB's above him got benched and two more were hurt (even if one of them did come back).

exactly, you got to think in the coaches mind that lowery is a little better then lito. i know money was a consideration also. but if rex thought lowery was that bad he would be gone.

[Thai Jet]

I think it's Drew Coleman that gets the bad rap around here. The guy isn't a very good CB and Lowery is better overall. OTOH, I'm pretty sure Coleman is better in the slot. It seemed to me that Rex was using Coleman exclusively in the slot. They probably will be using Wilson in that role now and that is for the best, but I think Lowery is missing the quickness necessary to step in there and cover that underneath crap. IF you think he got scorched by Indy, just imagine him covering Welker.

Drew Coleman has been extrememly successful for a 7th round pick.

Thus the bad rap.

[#27TheDominator]

exactly, you got to think in the coaches mind that lowery is a little better then lito. i know money was a consideration also. but if rex thought lowery was that bad he would be gone.

Sheppard? Don't bring him into this. That move was based 100% on injuries and money. Cutting Sheppard saved around $13M. Lowery is making very near the minimum. You don't cut guys like that until you are absolutely forced. There is no reason to think Rex likes/d Lowery better than Lito.

I thought the whole point of this thread is that by bringing in Cromartie, Wilson and some priority UDFAs that Lowery may well be gone. I actually like Lowery, but nothing that has happened this offseason has exactly been a vote of confidence. Maybe cutting Strickland, but he was also always hurt and made approximately 3 times as much as Lowery.

[slats]

Move him to safety or let him go. He doesn't have the speed to keep up with top notch WRs.

As the #4 CB, he isn't going to be asked to cover any top notch WR's. Jets will generally have the opponents' top 3 WR's covered in man. Lowery will either be in zone coverage, or asked to cover a TE or RB - where he should really excel.

I also think the guy gets a bad rap. Someone posted his passes defensed numbers in an older CB thread, and he was something ridiculous - like top five in the league. The guy's pretty good. Definitely lacks that top end speed, but he'd be an upgrade as a starter on a few NFL teams. As a dime back and depth, he's a good player for the Jets to have.

[#27TheDominator]

As the #4 CB, he isn't going to be asked to cover any top notch WR's. Jets will generally have the opponents' top 3 WR's covered in man. Lowery will either be in zone coverage, or asked to cover a TE or RB - where he should really excel.

I also think the guy gets a bad rap. Someone posted his passes defensed numbers in an older CB thread, and he was something ridiculous - like top five in the league. The guy's pretty good. Definitely lacks that top end speed, but he'd be an upgrade as a starter on a few NFL teams. As a dime back and depth, he's a good player for the Jets to have.

I don't know about last year, but I saw stats for 2008. Lowery wasn't bad, but horrid in TDs allowed. He's bound to have a bunch of chances for passes defensed with Revis on the other side.

http://corner.bigblueinteractive.com/index.php?mode=2&thread=322572

39. Dwight Lowery, New York Jets

Season Totals: 84 attempts, 7.32 YPA, 35.71 Forced INC%, 8 TDs, 1 INT

My two cents: I feel bad for Dwight Lowery because he is playing in the wrong system. He doesn

[slats]

I don't know about last year, but I saw stats for 2008. Lowery wasn't bad, but horrid in TDs allowed. He's bound to have a bunch of chances for passes defensed with Revis on the other side.

Here is another name of interest. He didn't even crack the guy's top 50 for 2008. Revis was 3rd.

Ouch on both counts.

Hopefully the guy who posted it remembers better than me and reposts it. My google skills are failing.

[GreenReaper]

As the #4 CB, he isn't going to be asked to cover any top notch WR's. Jets will generally have the opponents' top 3 WR's covered in man. Lowery will either be in zone coverage, or asked to cover a TE or RB - where he should really excel.

I also think the guy gets a bad rap. Someone posted his passes defensed numbers in an older CB thread, and he was something ridiculous - like top five in the league. The guy's pretty good. Definitely lacks that top end speed, but he'd be an upgrade as a starter on a few NFL teams. As a dime back and depth, he's a good player for the Jets to have.

Lack of speed has always been Lowery's biggest deficiency in covering WRs. But he's a real student of the game. He will excel as a dime CB. I also see him as a situational Safety at times too. Especially since injuries seem to be a frequent occurrence, with the physical style that Rex has his secondary play.

Lowery was a legendary ball hawk in College. With the other Three Amigos(Revis-Crow-Wilson) providing tight coverage. And with Jason Taylor joining Pace and Harris in pressuring the QB...I can see Lowery successfully making more plays on the ball.

Lol...he may not make the Pro Bowl anytme soon. But I think Lowery will have his best year as a Jet this coming season.

[Boozer76]

Regardless of the WR lined up against him, whenever an opposing QB decided to start targeting Lowery he literally got pantsed. Every single time. If there's one thing Lowery absolutely can't do well it's cover a receiver. While Coleman is not very good either, he is better covering guys in the slot and has the speed to keep up with him. Lowery seemingly took lessons from David Barrett by giving the 10 yard cushion and multiplied it by 20. Lowery is useless and hopefully gone this year.

[Jack Straw]

Regardless of the WR lined up against him, whenever an opposing QB decided to start targeting Lowery he literally got pantsed. Every single time. If there's one thing Lowery absolutely can't do well it's cover a receiver. While Coleman is not very good either, he is better covering guys in the slot and has the speed to keep up with him. Lowery seemingly took lessons from David Barrett by giving the 10 yard cushion and multiplied it by 20. Lowery is useless and hopefully gone this year.

If Drew Coleman makes this team, you know we're not deep enough at corner. In his limited snaps, I've never seen a football player trip over himself as often as Drew Coleman. It's embarrassing.

[Bleedin Green]

If Drew Coleman makes this team, you know we're not deep enough at corner. In his limited snaps, I've never seen a football player trip over himself as often as Drew Coleman. It's embarrassing.

I'm sorry, but I must disagree. With the possible exception of last year, that honor far and away goes to our very own Eric Smith. I'll still never forget the imagine of him being so completely uncoordinated that he couldn't handle the ultra-agile route-running a friggin' fullback without falling flat on his face. I used to despise him more than any Jet not named Chad Pennington (still not a huge fan).

[Thor99]

Shouldn't the answer be "Who cares?"

[#27TheDominator]

Lack of speed has always been Lowery's biggest deficiency in covering WRs. But he's a real student of the game. He will excel as a dime CB. I also see him as a situational Safety at times too. Especially since injuries seem to be a frequent occurrence, with the physical style that Rex has his secondary play.

Lowery was a legendary ball hawk in College. With the other Three Amigos(Revis-Crow-Wilson) providing tight coverage. And with Jason Taylor joining Pace and Harris in pressuring the QB...I can see Lowery successfully making more plays on the ball.

Lol...he may not make the Pro Bowl anytme soon. But I think Lowery will have his best year as a Jet this coming season.

Injuries are always a frequent occurence for Lito and Strickland. That's why they were available and it's why they are gone. Playing straight man with no/less run support duties should lead to less CB injuries. I'm still not a fan of Lowery on a straight man team.

[flgreen]

I'm still not a fan of Lowery on a straight man team.

Maybe he should play for the Pats.