Antonio Allen has made one big position shift during his playing career, moving from outside linebacker in college to safety, so he has some experience with what he’s trying to pull off with the Jets this week.
Jets coach Rex Ryan announced at his Tuesday press conference that Allen will start at cornerback against the Bengals in Saturday’s preseason game. The big difference from Allen’s previous transition is going to be how quickly he’s trying to make it.
Allen moved to cornerback for Monday’s practice and stepped into the void opened by injuries to Dee Milliner, Dimitri Patterson and Dexter McDougle in recent days. Allen had a pair of interceptions during his initial session as a cornerback and Ryan said Allen will get to try his stuff against one of the league’s best receivers in A.J. Green.
“He’ll start. What the heck? If he can cover that kid, he can cover them all,” Ryan said, via Dennis Waszak of the Associated Press.
Green’s a pretty tough measuring stick for an experienced cornerback, so there won’t be many people betting on Allen in that matchup. Given the current state of the cornerback corps, the Jets will be happy if Allen can handle receivers in the sub-Green category.