Rex Ryan has insisted that Dee Milliner will be a "tremendous player" despite benching the rookie during the New York Jets' 13-10 defeat to the New England Patriots last night.

The AFC East side used one of their two first-round picks in this year's Draft to acquire the cornerback.

The head coach told reporters: "This young man is going to be a tremendous player, there's no doubt, but as I told him, I said, 'You know, Dee, I want you to sit on the sidelines and I want you to watch.'

"Sometimes when you do that, it's the best thing for you. And so we replaced him with Kyle [Wilson] and [Darrin] Walls.

"I'm trying to win a game. I'm going to play who I think gives us the best chance to win. He's going to be a great player, but at that time I went with the veteran."

The 21-year-old has made four tackles in his first two NFL games.