Will McDonald has certainly flashed enough in training camp and preseason, enough to lead to some praise from New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas. It might be enough to make the Jets a little more patient with the Haason Reddick holdout situation.
McDonald, a first round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, is coming off a rookie season where he played in 15 games. All told, he registered 14 total tackles and three sacks as well as a forced fumble.
As for Reddick, he was acquired by the Jets in a trade this offseason with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Reddick is an elite edge rusher, with double-digit sacks in each of his last four seasons. Last year for the Eagles, he had 11 sacks and 38 total tackles in 17 games.
In speaking with the media on Thursday, Douglas praised McDonald for his strong offseason.
“I think Will’s had a superb camp, and I think Will’s come in on a mission,” Douglas told reporters on Thursday.
“His skills are undeniable, and I feel like he can really bring some elite athleticism off the edge, his change of direction, and his speed off the ball, his counter, and he’s one of those guys that constantly working to improve every day, so you’d love to see Will take that step that Jermaine (Johnson) took last year. Each person is different in their development, but I think we’ve seen a lot of positive practices, and positive ascension from Will.”
As for Reddick, there is no movement on his contract situation.
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That could mean no Reddick for the Jets season opener in a little over a week.
“Well, I think we’ve done that for most of training camp and we’ve prepared,” Douglas said about preparing for Reddick to not report to the Jets in time for Week 1.
“We’ve gone through training camp without him. Obviously, we still want him here. Excited to have him. Again, can’t wait until he comes in and everyone here is going to welcome him with open arms.”