For former LSU CB Morris Claiborne, his time with the Dallas Cowboys was littered with what ifs. That’s because he was a fine corner when healthy but played in only 47 of a possible 80 games during his five-year career with Dallas.

But the NFL is a bottom-line business, and the bottom line on Claiborne is that he hasn’t lived up to his billing as the sixth overall draft choice in 2012 NFL Draft.

Now Claiborne has signed a one-year deal with the New York Jets, and he’s fighting to not only shirk the label as a bust, but also avoid washing out of the league altogether.

Despite all of that, the 27-year-old DB says that he still has his best football ahead of him and that his only lack of ability has been his lack of availability. Claiborne told the New York Post this week that he can still be a No. 1 corner in the NFL when healthy.

“I feel like I can be the No. 1 corner in this league if I’m healthy … when I’m healthy,” said Claiborne. “When I’m out there playing and I’m healthy and I’m on my game, I don’t feel like there is anybody better than me.”

That kind of confidence could be seen as arrogance to some, especially given the depth of talent at DB across the league, but it’s exactly the kind of mindset that a player needs to bounce back from the kind of hard luck that has befallen Claiborne.

In this one-year deal with the Jets, Claiborne is betting on himself – and he needs to ball out if he wants to turn his claims into a reality.