Perhaps the first clue of what lied in store for Michael Carter II with the Jets came when he was the second Michael Carter drafted by the team on the same day and thus distinguished by Roman numerals.
No longer easily confused with Jets teammate Michael Carter — a running back — Carter II instead operates in the shadows of Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed.
Gardner-Reed arguably is the NFL’s best cornerback duo, but Gardner-Reed-Carter II has an even stronger case as the league’s best trio — and the other two frequently remind Carter II that his unheralded work in the slot is a big reason why.
“Sauce and D.J. make my job easier,” Carter II said. “They can say it’s super hard — and it’s tough — but everybody has a job to do.”
Carter II’s quiet breakout 2022 season rated higher than established slot corners K’Waun Williams (Broncos), Kenny Moore (Colts) and Mike Hilton (Bengals) — three players to whom he would like to be compared — by Pro Football Focus.
The Jets were the only team with three of PFF’s top-25 ranked cornerbacks: Gardner (No. 1), Carter II (No. 18) and Reed (No. 23).
“I still haven’t accomplished what I want to accomplish,” Carter II said. “I want to be a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro and really be considered widely as ‘that guy’ at the nickel spot. The work I put in this offseason was all geared to, ‘I want to be the best nickel in the league this season and going forward.’ My whole mindset was that.”
And so Carter II worked on his man-to-man and zone techniques, broke down film on receivers and bulked up from 184 pounds last season to 193 with the idea of taking on run blocks in the box.
Cornerbacks coach Tony Oden described Carter II as “one of the keys to unlock our defense” because of his game-plan versatility and said his trajectory “arrow is up, for sure.”
“I feel like he doesn’t get that much credit,” Gardner said. “When I’m sitting in the meeting room and hearing Coach T.O. talk to Mike about all he’s got to do, it makes me not only respect the nickel position in general but respect Michael Carter. What he does is not easy, but he makes it look easy.”
One of the first to take notice of Carter II’s ability was his new teammate Aaron Rodgers, who revealed the Packers’ game plan to avoid Gardner and Reed in a Week 6 matchup last season.
Rodgers completed just 5 of 9 passes for 30 yards when targeting Carter II in a Packers’ loss to the Jets.
“I felt like we wanted to get after M.C.,” Rodgers recalled in June, “and then after the game I think everybody was like, ‘He’s a pretty damn good player.’ ”
Gardner or Reed typically draws the opponent’s best receiver, but Carter II has more on his plate than just figuring out if a speedy target is going to break inside or outside on the snap.
“Within this defense, communication is paramount,” he said. “When things move, I’m really the one talking through everything. Especially if we are in man and [making] different adjustments, I’m the one communicating that stuff. Those guys are giving me what they are seeing on the outside, too, but I have the final say-so in a lot of things that happen in coverage.”
It’s a big responsibility for a third-year player drafted in the fifth round with just two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, one sack and 14 passes defended to show in the box score for his first 32 career games.
But head coach Robert Saleh described Carter II as physical, smart in learning the defense’s nuances and fearless.
“Michael is probably underappreciated because he doesn’t have the splash name, he doesn’t make the splash plays, but if you go back and watch, you’re like, ‘Damn, that guy is pretty freaking good,’ ” Saleh said, echoing Rodgers. “And he’s only going to get better.”
