Jet cut cornerback Desir, open door for rookie Hall

The Jets waived cornerback Pierre Desir Tuesday after a nightmarish season stained by poor execution and effort, according to a source. GM Joe Douglas signed the former Colt to a one-year, $3.75 million deal in free agency with the intent of making him the team’s top cornerback.

But Desir was an unmitigated disaster.

The veteran missed part of training camp with a hamstring issue before he was benched in the first half of the season opener. Desir, 30, returned to the starting lineup due to a dearth of other quality options in the secondary, but he never found his footing.

Desir allowed 35 receptions on 47 targets for 491 yards, according to Pro Football Focus. He gave up a league-high five touchdowns. Opposing quarterbacks had a 116.5 passer rating when throwing into his coverage, per PFF.

Pierre’s forgettable stay with the Jets was punctuated by a lackadaisical effort in the waning moments of Gang Green’s loss to the Patriots before their bye. Desir was beaten by wide receiver Damiere Byrd before loafing after him across the field on a 31-yard gain that set up the game-tying touchdown.

Rookie fifth-round pick Bryce Hall is expected to get a heavy workload with Desir gone. The team hopes Hall, who was shelved for the first half of season while rehabbing an ankle injury that cut short his college career, will gain valuable experience in the final seven weeks so he can hit the ground running in 2021.

Meanwhile, CB Brian Poole, who was dealing with shoulder and knee injuries, was placed on injured reserve and TE Connor Davis was signed to the practice squad.