The Jets didn’t just patch a hole at safety this offseason - they may have built the NFL’s most effective tandem there.
Through five games in 2026, New York’s back end is looking like the clearest early win for general manager Darren Mougey, whose roster work has already become a lightning rod among Jets fans. The opinions around him are all over the map: some want both Mougey and Aaron Glenn gone, some believe both need more time, and some think Glenn is the one who should be on the move while Mougey has done enough to earn patience. But when it comes to evaluating Mougey fairly, the safety position is hard to ignore.
The turnaround started in the offseason. Mougey sent a seventh-round pick to the Miami Dolphins for Minkah Fitzpatrick, then signed the All-Pro to a three-year, $40 million deal. He also brought in Dane Belton, a former Giant, on a one-year, $4 million contract that already looked like a smart upside play at the time.
Now it looks even better.
According to a chart from analyst Judah Fortgang, Fitzpatrick and Belton rank among the league’s best safeties in both preventing separation and on-ball coverage. Together, they stand out as the NFL’s best pairing in those two areas.
The early production matches the chart. Fitzpatrick has played only two full games for the Jets, but he’s already posted 20 total tackles, zero missed tackles, an interception, and a pass deflection.
Belton has started five times and has 38 total tackles, two pass deflections, and a sack. He’s tied for sixth among safeties in defensive stops with 11, has missed just three tackles, and has yet to allow a touchdown or commit a penalty in coverage.
Opposing quarterbacks have managed only 59 yards on 11 targets against him, which works out to 5.4 yards per target.
Five games is still a small sample, and there’s a lot of season left. But the Jets’ most improved unit of the 2026 offseason has come out looking exactly the way Mougey hoped - and then some.
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