Dee Milliner

Dee Milliner came on strong late in his rookie season.

(Charles Trainor Jr./Miami Herald/MCT)

FLORHAM PARK – On the final day of the Jets’ 2013 season, one of their promising, young players offered thanks to an aging legend who would soon leave the team. The Jets had just defeated the Dolphins, and rookie cornerback Dee Milliner had picked off two passes while shutting down wide receiver Mike Wallace.

Jets coach Rex Ryan mentioned afterward that Ed Reed, the 35-year-old future Hall of Fame safety whom the Jets signed midseason, helped Milliner through the latter stages of his rocky first season. Milliner referred to Reed as "another coach on the field."

The Jets declined to re-sign Reed during free agency, but Milliner’s teammates believe he will build on his time spent with Reed – and use it to excel this season.

The Jets desperately need Milliner to play like the No. 9 overall pick. They did not sign an elite cornerback in free agency after cutting Antonio Cromartie, so Dimitri Patterson, a bargain free agent pickup, is now scheduled to start opposite Milliner.

This is Milliner’s opportunity to show he can defend elite receivers on a weekly basis.

“I feel like Dee has matured,” Jets reserve cornerback Ellis Lankster said Wednesday at an NFL Play 60 event at the team’s facility. “Dee knows the game now. The last four weeks of the season, Ed Reed took Dee under his wing. He just taught him the game. As of right now, I feel like, in the future or this year, Dee is going to be one of the top corners in the NFL.”

To be fair to Milliner, the Jets’ entire secondary struggled last season, when the Jets finished 22nd in the NFL in passing defense. Cromartie, who played through a hip injury, looked completely ineffective at times. For his part, Milliner was benched three times before his strong finish, with three picks in the final two games, as he earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month honors for December.

Now, because the Jets did not land a top free agent corner this offseason, because Lankster and Darrin Walls are better fits as backups, and because former first-round pick Kyle Wilson has proven far more effective as a slot corner than an outside corner, the onus is on Milliner to show significant growth in Year 2.

Excelling as a rookie corner in the NFL has always been difficult. Milliner's development was hampered by shoulder surgery that sidelined him for offseason workouts, a calf injury that limited him in training camp, and a hamstring strain that prevented him from playing in three games. He didn't get his first interception until the second-to-last game.

Ryan has expressed optimism about the impact of Milliner being healthy enough to fully participate in offseason workouts this season. Milliner's teammates also see the lasting results of Milliner's time spent with Reed.

Reed brought Milliner into the film room several times late last season, passing along wisdom he gained during his 12-year career.

“(Reed’s) knowledge of the game is phenomenal, so any time you get a chance to learn from him, you’re only going to benefit from it,” safety Jaiquawn Jarrett said Wednesday. “I think Dee is going to have a great year. He’s been doing great in his workouts. He’s playing more confident. He’s vocal. I think Dee is going to have a really good season.”

Jarrett said Reed’s impact on Milliner “was evident in the way he started to play toward the end (of the season). His game elevated. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the reps that he needed in (training) camp. But when he got the opportunity and Ed got with him, his game elevated. You saw that Dee Milliner is capable of playing day in and day out.”

Now comes Milliner’s chance to prove his teammates right.