The cast of the musical “Rent” sang that a year is measured in 525,600 minutes.
The next time Aaron Rodgers brings his Jets teammates to Broadway, maybe they can sing about how chemistry can be measured in 7,342 defensive snaps.
As teams around the league start from scratch introducing new players and new schemes on both sides of the ball, the Jets defense should be ahead of the curve in OTAs because eight of the nine players who logged at least 650 snaps last season (7,342 total) remain together under fourth-year coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
Four — safety Tony Adams and cornerbacks Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed and Michael Carter II — start in one of the NFL’s best secondaries.
“Continuity, especially on the back end, is so critical,” Ulbrich said during the first week of spring practices. “These guys have to know each other’s strengths, their weaknesses, their shortcomings, their superpowers, their kryptonites, all that. They also have to know how to communicate at the highest level — and some of that communication over time becomes just a wink, a little hand signal.”
The Jets are one of six teams returning eight of their top-nine defensive workhorses. Retaining Ulbrich — who was blocked from interviewing for the 49ers defensive coordinator vacancy — also was key to continuity.
“When you get to that [subtle communication] level, that’s where the really special stuff lives,” Ulbrich said. “So the fact that we have guys that have been here in the system for multiple years now, it’s exciting to think where they could take it.”
Only the Colts and Saints have eight- or nine-man cores that played more snaps than the cumulative total of the Jets’ four defensive backs plus defensive linemen Quinnen Williams and Jermaine Johnson as well as linebackers C.J. Mosley and Quincy Williams.
But neither team ranked nearly as high as the Jets (No. 3) in total defense (292.3 yards allowed per game).
“No one is happy with the results as of yet,” Ulbrich said. “Yeah, statistically, we’ve ended in the top five, but ultimately winning is how we create a legacy in this league. So until that happens and we win — substantial wins and we hold that [Super Bowl] trophy together — we’re not going to be done. So it’s a really cool group in that way — just so driven, so self-motivated. Takes very little nudging by me.”
Seven of the eight snaps leaders (not Adams) also were key pieces under Ulbrich when the Jets ranked No. 4 in both total defense and scoring defense in 2022. Gardner, Mosley and both Williams brothers have been first- or second-team All-Pros over the past two seasons — more than any other AFC defense boasts in that time frame.
“Anything that’s my strengths, I just keep going over it,” Gardner said. “Stuff that’s my weakness, I pride myself on getting better on that. Trying not to get complacent — it’s easy to get complacent … when you are going through life and having people say you are their favorite player.”
The Jets’ offseason changes included swapping in Haason Reddick and Javon Kinlaw for John Franklin-Myers and Bryce Huff — neither of whom carried a 650-snap workload — along the defensive line.
Acquiring Reddick, who has 50.5 sacks over the past four seasons, was a case of leaning into strengths — the Jets ranked No. 4 last season in pressure percentage (26.5 percent of opponents’ dropbacks) — and believing that better complementary football will lead to correcting a weakness.
The vaunted defense ranked No. 25 in rushing yards allowed per game (124) last season but No. 11 in yards per carry (4.07).
Rodgers’ return from missing virtually the full season should mean playing from ahead more frequently thus forcing more passes-rush opportunities.
The bigger disruption to defensive chemistry could be whether the combination of former Ravens starter Chuck Clark — who missed all of last season with a torn ACL — converted cornerback Isaiah Oliver, special-teamer Ashytn Davis and rookie Jaden Key can aptly fill the shoes of departed 1,078-snap safety Jordan Whitehead.
“I know that might be the outside narrative,” Ulbrich said. “That’s not the narrative within this building.”
It wouldn’t have all the makings of a Broadway hit that way.