The Jets’ defensive numbers were ugly in 2021.

They finished the season as the worst defense in the NFL in yards and points allowed. The passing defense was particularly atrocious. They gave up nearly 260 yards per game and 28 passing touchdowns with just seven interceptions.

It was no surprise general manager Joe Douglas revamped the secondary entering 2022. In free agency, he signed cornerback D.J. Reed to a three-year, $33.3 million contract and safety Jordan Whitehead to a two-year, $14.5 million deal. Then, he drafted cornerback Sauce Gardner with the No. 4-overall pick.

Voila! The Jets have a new-look secondary.

“Time will tell,” defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said Wednesday, “but in this league, especially in the current landscape of pass-happy every week, it’s huge to have a revamped secondary. … With a good secondary, you can be a pretty good defense in this league.”

The Jets went with young cornerbacks last year, starting second-year player Bryce Hall and rookie Brandin Echols. They were not awful, but also did not get to the football enough. Echols had two interceptions and Hall had none. Of the Jets’ seven interceptions last year, the defensive linemen had as many as the cornerbacks (two).

Safety was a revolving door with eight different starters. They began the season with Marcus Maye and Lamarcus Joyner as their starters, but both suffered season-ending injuries. Joyner went down in the first game of the season with a torn triceps.

Joyner is back this season and is expected to start alongside Whitehead at safety. Gardner and Reed will give the Jets a formidable cornerback duo along with Michael Carter II as the slot corner. The additions now move Hall and Echols to the fourth and fifth cornerback spot, providing depth at the position for the first time in years.

“I think it’s special,” Reed said of the secondary. “I think we have the guys to do more than just get the job done. I think we can dominate. As far as the cornerback group, that’s who I’m with the most. I feel like it’s the best group that I’ve been a part of. I’m excited.”

Whitehead, who played for the Buccaneers before coming to the Jets, believes this set of defensive backs can equal what the Tampa Bay group did when he was there.

“I don’t see no difference between this group and the last time I was on or the guys I’ve played with like Richard Sherman,” Whitehead said. “We’ve got it here. We’ve got everything we need — the ability, the toughness and the smartness to play this game. There’s no doubt we should be one of the best groups.”

Gardner is going to draw a lot of attention because of where he was drafted, but head coach Robert Saleh is already saying nothing will be handed to him. Hall is currently getting the first-team reps in organized team activities opposite Reed.

“He still has to go earn it,” Saleh said of Gardner. “Bryce has started. He’s taking the one reps, and it’s not for show. You’ve got to go earn your right to go play football. Just because you were drafted in a certain spot doesn’t mean anything.”

Reed might be the most interesting signing. He is not a household name but had a very good 2021 season for the Seahawks. Saleh coached him in 2018 and 2019 in San Francisco. The coaches can’t say enough about Reed’s effort.

“You could almost hear him grunting on tape and the volume’s on mute with how hard he plays and how hard he gets in and out of his breaks and how important every single rep is to him,” Saleh said. “You see him in meetings, just the laser focus. There’s no dozing off. There’s no slouching. He is completely locked in.”

The Jets now have to hope their revamped secondary and a pass rush that should get a boost with the return of Carl Lawson cam make them go from one of the worst defenses in the NFL to one of the best.

“That’s the secret to good defense, when you play complementary football,” Ulbrich said. “Rush and coverage, when they work together that’s when you play really competitive, tough, stingy defense. We’re working toward that.”