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Wealthy Cimini
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — A take a look at what’s taking place across the New York Jets:
1. Gang greener: When Aaron Glenn was employed as an assistant coach by the New Orleans Saints in 2016, he obtained a roster-building tip from govt Jeff Eire that he has carried with him on his teaching journey.
“You’ll be able to’t be afraid of younger gamers,” Glenn stated this week, recalling Eire’s phrases.
Some coaches may be skittish when managing inexperienced gamers, preferring to roll with seasoned vets. The primary-year Jets coach does not appear involved about having a youthful roster based mostly on what has transpired this offseason.
The Jets are turning a darker shade of inexperienced earlier than our eyes. They’ve solely 5 gamers coming into their age-30 season or older: quarterback Tyrod Taylor (36), long-snapper Thomas Hennessy (31), extensive receivers Allen Lazard (30) and Josh Reynolds (30) and guard Zack Bailey (30).
Remember the fact that rosters are fluid this time of 12 months, however just one crew has fewer age-30 and older gamers than the Jets, per Spotrac: the Inexperienced Bay Packers (4).
For the Jets, it is a stark distinction to final 12 months, once they opened the season with 12 gamers in that class, most notably quarterback Aaron Rodgers (40), linebacker C.J. Mosley (32), tackles Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses (each 33), kicker Greg Zuerlein (37) and punter Thomas Morstead (38).
They’re all gone, together with extensive receiver Davante Adams (32), a midseason addition.
The Jets, who completed 2024 with the eighth-oldest roster, at the moment are twenty ninth, per Spotrac.
“Hear, do we wish youthful gamers? Completely. It is a younger man’s recreation,” Glenn stated. “It is a younger man’s recreation, however we wish gamers that may assist us win. So if these gamers occur to be 30 years previous, we get these gamers. It simply so occurred that we bought youthful whereas we bought gamers that might assist us win.”
It was greater than a coincidence. In free company, they focused gamers coming off their rookie contracts, specifically quarterback Justin Fields (26) and cornerback Brandon Stephens (28).
The technique made sense. Usually, youthful gamers are sooner, much less injury-prone and coachable. That is an necessary factor for a corporation attempting to rebuild its tradition.
2. Rising into the job: Edge rusher Will McDonald IV has gained 15 kilos, in accordance with Glenn. He did not present an actual weight, but it surely may put him within the 250s based mostly on his listed weight from final season (236). The Jets say this can be a good factor as a result of they consider it’ll make him a stronger edge setter towards the run.
There’s all the time a fragile stability when a velocity participant provides weight; the very last thing you need to do is compromise his greatest asset.
“We’ll let him free,” Glenn stated. “We’ll let him go get the passer. That is what he does greatest.”
One of many few brilliant spots final season, McDonald completed with 10.5 sacks however registered solely 2.5 over the ultimate 10 video games. The additional weight might support his endurance for the second half of the season.
3. You’ll be able to’t flip a change: There’s quite a lot of pleased speak emanating from One Jets Drive in regards to the new tradition, which is what you’d anticipate with a brand new regime in cost. However this would possibly not be an in a single day course of, particularly for a corporation that has completed in final place in seven of the previous 11 seasons.
Glenn is aware of this. In his earlier cease, it took the Detroit Lions two full seasons earlier than they flipped the script. The true check of tradition, he stated, is when adversity hits. And it’ll hit — that is inevitable.
4. Ohio State reunion: Large receiver Garrett Wilson remembers watching the 2021 draft, questioning why groups had been passing on Fields, his school QB. Fields went eleventh total to the Chicago Bears, however Wilson felt he was ok to go larger.
He adopted Fields via his first two seasons in Chicago, considering to himself that he would’ve made some catches that the Bears’ receivers did not. He all the time wished to play with Fields, by no means considering it will occur.
His response when Fields signed in March?
“A giant smile on [my] face,” Wilson stated.
5. No Joshing: When the Jets signed former Packers beginning middle Josh Myers, it was broadly assumed that he’d be the backup to incumbent Joe Tippmann. Normal supervisor Darren Mougey spiced it up when he stated in late March that Myers is “going to compete to push Tippmann.”
Positive sufficient, that competitors is underway. Tippmann and Myers are “battling their asses off proper now,” guard John Simpson stated this week.
Enjoyable reality on Myers: He has began extra video games (56) than any lineman on the crew — yet another than Simpson. It is the form of expertise within the pivot that might come in useful on such a younger line. It is a positional battle to look at.
6. Cap reduction: Rodgers and Mosley, each launched in March with post-June 1 designations, are counting a mixed $36.3 million on the wage cap. On June 2, that quantity drops to $13.5 million, making the Jets one of many leaders in cap room. They may have loads of flexibility to signal Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner to contract extensions.
7. Secure(ty) at dwelling: Security Andre Cisco grew up on Lengthy Island, and he watched a number of Jets practices as a child once they had been based mostly at Hofstra College and attended some dwelling video games together with his mom. His favourite participant was quarterback Mark Sanchez.
Now, after 4 seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cisco is within the New York space once more, having fun with the … air?
“Residing right here has been pure, and the air feels higher,” he stated.
He wasn’t referring to air high quality; he meant the crisp mornings, which he missed in Florida.
The Jets hope Cisco (eight interceptions in 4 years) can deliver a playmaking factor to their secondary. They have not had a real ball hawk at security since Kerry Rhodes, circa 2007, again when Cisco was a 7-year-old Jets fan.
8. Jets are pro-push: On the NFL’s spring assembly this week, the Jets had been amongst 10 groups that voted towards the proposed ban of the tush push. It was shut — the proposal got here up two votes shy of approval — however the controversial play, popularized by the Philadelphia Eagles, will proceed for the 2025 season.
It will likely be fascinating to see if the Jets incorporate it into their playbook. Fields, one of many league’s most harmful working quarterbacks, has tried 12 push sneaks in his profession, changing 11 for first downs, per ESPN Analysis. Since 2021, solely two quarterbacks have tried it greater than Fields: Jalen Hurts (86-for-100) and Josh Allen (50-for-55).
9. Hidden gems? On the subject of undrafted free brokers, the quantity of a participant’s assure typically signifies how a lot demand he generated after the draft. Some perspective: Not many gamers obtain greater than $200,000. The Jets doled out three comparatively giant contracts, in accordance with Over the Cap:
Guard Leander Wiegand ($249,000), defensive sort out Payton Web page ($201,500) and edge rusher Ja’Markis Weston ($200,000).
The Jets have a reasonably good observe file with undrafted free brokers, usually retaining two or three on the ultimate roster. With a brand new teaching workers, that quantity may rise this 12 months.
10. Going again: Former Jets GM Joe Douglas has landed a scouting place with the Eagles, his earlier crew. Former coach Robert Saleh and former interim coach Jeff Ulbrich additionally had been employed by their earlier groups, the San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons, respectively.
Who says you possibly can’t go dwelling once more?
