The Jets have signed free agent cornerback Dimitri Patterson, the team announced (via Twitter). According to a tweet from Pro Football Talk, it is a one-year, $3MM deal, which Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News confirms (via Twitter).
The Jets will be the sixth different team that Patterson has played for in his nine-year career, having also suited up for the Redskins, Chiefs, Eagles, Browns, and Dolphins. Despite missing 10 games with a groin injury, Patterson played well for the Dolphins last season, recording four interceptions in just 240 defensive snaps. He also tallied four picks with Philadelphia in 2010, the only season in which he played the full 16 games.
Patterson, who will turn 31 before the season begins, helps to solidify a very uncertain New York secondary. Excluding Patterson, the top three corners on the depth chart are Dee Milliner, Darrin Walls, and Kyle Wilson, none of whom have inspired a great deal of confidence. Of course, the Jets either missed out on, or did not pursue, top free agent corners like Vontae Davis, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and Darrelle Revis (who signed with division rival New England after being released by the Buccaneers). For a defense predicated on strong man-to-man play from its cornerbacks, the inability to land a top corner represented a major concern.
Although Patterson is at his best when lined up in the slot, he did play primarily on the outside with Miami and proved that he could at least hold his own there. Given the lack of experience of the other corners currently on the roster, Patterson will certainly have the chance to start for the Jets and, assuming he stays healthy, may prove to be a quality signing for a bargain price.