Pro Football Focus will be providing analysis for every major NFL signing and trade during the 2015 free-agency period, accounting primarily for the quality of the player and his fit with his new team, and focusing less on the financial terms of the deal.
Here is a grade for the New York Jets' signing of Antonio Cromartie.
Link to grade articles on every major deal
New York Jets: C
How good the Antonio Cromartie deal is depends on which Cromartie you're going to get. By the end of Week 10 of the 2014 season, Cromartie was playing at an All-Pro level. At that time, he had allowed just 44 percent of passes thrown his way to be caught, and when quarterbacks threw to the man he was targeting, they had an NFL passer rating of just 55.6. From Week 11 to the end of the season, those numbers jumped up to an 83.9 percent catch rate, and an NFL passer rating allowed of 114.8.
His play in 2012 was similar to the first half of 2014, while his play in 2013 was similar to the second half of 2014.
The move will likely put Buster Skrine into the slot only, while Cromartie would take the No. 2 outside receiver, a situation that benefits Skrine, as he struggled as the Browns' No. 2 corner last season. If Cromartie can stay consistently good for an entire season, then this is obviously a good signing for the Jets. However, he is the fifth-oldest cornerback in the NFL, so it's unlikely he will reach his peak again, and as we saw in 2013 and the last couple of weeks of 2014, his floor is pretty low.