Jets strike trade with Colts for CB Nate Hairston

Sending a 2020 6th-round pick, Jets bring in more corner depth

8/28/2019, 4:39 PM

Jets GM Joe Douglas won't stop bringing in cornerback help, as he struck a trade with the Colts for CB Nate Hairston in exchange for a 2020 sixth-round pick, the team announced on Wednesday.

Hairston is entering his third season in the NFL after being drafted by Indianapolis in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. 

The Temple product had a solid rookie season, totaling 35 combined tackles (two for loss) with five passes defended and one interception. However, as Bleacher Report's Collin McCollough pointed out, the Colts switched to mostly zone coverage last season from man and Haiston struggled in the transition. 

 

Last season, he tallied 30 combined tackles and one pass defended over 13 games (seven starts). 

Hairston joins Marcus Cooper as another new face in the cornerbacks room since Douglas took over as GM. That's much-needed depth to a position of concern this summer, especially when Trumaine Johnson went down with a hamstring injury. He did return to practice on Tuesday, though. 

Hairston served as a nickel corner with the Colts, but the Jets brought in Brian Poole during free agency, so he'll likely start in that slot to start the season. However, at 6-foot, 185 pounds, Hairston can play on the outside as well, and he played better in man coverage. That's something he'll find himself in a lot thanks to Gregg Williams affinity to send many heads into the backfield in an aggressive, blitz-heavy system. 

Either way, Hairston is another piece that provides depth to the position, and shores up those holes Douglas wanted to fill immediately heading into the regular season. 

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