Category: Jets Training Camp

Robert Saleh doubles down on Jets’ backup quarterbacks

Robert Saleh isn’t worried about the Jets’ two inexperienced quarterbacks behind Zach Wilson.

Even though James Morgan and Mike White have just as many regular season snaps as second overall pick Zach Wilson, Robert Saleh and the Jets sound content with their backup quarterback situation.

“We’ve got the guys we have,” Saleh recently told the New York Post’s Steve Serby. “They had their moments in OTAs, they’ve had good, they’ve had bad, but at the same time they’re getting better, and that’s all you can look for. But right now we have our three quarterbacks in house, and we’re excited to work with ’em.”

This is the same drum Saleh beat after minicamp earlier this summer when questions emerged about the Jets’ quarterback room after Joe Douglas decided against signing veterans like Nick Mullens, Brian Hoyer and Joe Flacco. Saleh noted back in June that there’s a “balancing act” between signing an experienced passer while developing internal talent.

“I don’t know if there’s much value [in having a veteran quarterback] aside from being comfortable that if something – crap hits the fan – that you have a veteran who’s played football,” Saleh said in June. “It’s more of a comforting feeling rather than trying to work your a— off to develop the quarterbacks already in the building.”

Saleh should know how important it is to have an experienced backup in place due to his time in San Francisco, though. The 49ers floundered without Jimmy Garoppolo in two of the past three seasons. But there isn’t much Saleh and the Jets can do now even if they wanted to bring in a veteran to compete with this group.

There have been rumblings of a Nick Foles trade with the Bears, but that would be costly – both in cap space and draft capital. New York could always sign someone like Robert Griffin III or Matt Barkley in free agency. Either solution would cost more than the $1.8 million the Jets are paying for Morgan and White, though, which is likely another reason why Saleh and Douglas are fine rolling with this pair.

Either way, training camp will determine if the Jets truly need a solid reserve quarterback for Wilson depending on how White and Morgan perform. If the duo look solid in Mike LaFleur’s offense, maybe the Jets can risk saving some cash and rolling with an inexperienced group. But if they look atrocious, it would be better for the Jets to bring in an insurance policy if Wilson gets hurt.

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Robert Saleh not worried about Mekhi Becton’s weight entering training camp

Jets head coach Robert Saleh would like to see Mekhi Becton find a playing weight that allows him to maintain his strength and physicality.

Mekhi Becton’s weight issues have garnered a ton of attention throughout the offseason, but Robert Saleh is not too worried about where New York’s prized offensive tackle is at on the scale entering training camp.

Currently listed at 6-foot-7 and 363 pounds, Becton admitted before the beginning of his rookie season that he weighed around 370 pounds. He also ended 2020 around 380 pounds, prompting discipline from the team, per the New York Post’s Brian Costello.

Since then, Becton has made a concerted effort to keep his weight in check. He retained the services of a personal chef and limited his diet to mostly fish and vegetables. He also flashed a leaner frame in a workout video posted earlier this month, an indication that his diet and work in the gym have him trending in the right direction.

While Becton has taken it upon himself to get in the best shape possible ahead of the 2021 season, Saleh is not stressing over the exact number Becton posts on the scale when he reports to One Jets Drive on Tuesday. In a recent interview with Steve Serby of the New York Post, Saleh reiterated that his main focus is Becton being at a weight that allows him to play comfortably and physically with the strength he showcased throughout his rookie season.

“Mekhi is a very big man, and if he can line up and play fast and play physical and play strong, I really don’t care what his weight is,” Saleh said.

Saleh has been a proponent of Becton finding the playing weight that works best for him. It goes without saying that New York’s rookie head coach would likely prefer Becton does not balloon up to 380 pounds as he did late last season, but Saleh is not laser-focused on the specifics of Becton’s weight right now.

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Greg Van Roten: Hope returned to Jets after Robert Saleh was hired

Jets players and coaches sound happier now that Robert Saleh is leading the team.

Ever since Joe Douglas hired Robert Saleh to replace Adam Gase, the mentality around the Jets has been much more positive.

Those feelings were echoed by guard Greg Van Roten, who told the New York Post’s Brian Costello that Saleh’s presence revitalized the Jets after an abysmal 2-14 season that left many unhappy going into the 2021 offseason.

“Last year was tough mentally,” Van Roten said. “It was so stressful for a lot of guys, there were a lot of new players and so much uncertainty. We felt every day that we would get shut down, and that made it hard to go to work every day. You’re trying to do your job, coupled with losing a lot, losing your job, there’s turnover and a lot of new faces.

“They hire Saleh, and it just feels like a weight has been lifted and hope has come back into the building. All we ask for is a fresh start in this league, and no one is happier than the Jets. Now we’re on Page 1, so let’s write this year’s chapter.”

Not only is Saleh a fresh start for the Jets, but most of the team is new, too. Zach Wilson took over as the starting quarterback, the offensive line looks much improved with the additions of Morgan Moses and Alijah Vera-Tucker, and offensive and defensive acquisitions in free agency and the draft bolstered various position groups.

But the atmosphere remains the starkest difference between Saleh’s Jets and Gase’s Jets. Players appear more excited about practice as well as their confidence heading into the season. Training camp will prove to be the best barometer of those sentiments when the Jets hit the field later this month, but for now, the overall feeling around the team is positivity and enthusiasm.

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Zach Wilson, Elijah Moore remain unsigned with training camp days away

Two of the Jets’ most promising 2021 NFL draft picks have yet to sign their rookie contracts with training camp less than a week away.

Two of the Jets’ prized offensive rookies might not be ready to take the field when New York reports for training camp in just six days.

Alijah Vera-Tucker signed his rookie contract on Tuesday, leaving Zach Wilson and Elijah Moore as Gang Green’s last two unsigned 2021 NFL draft picks. Both are all but certain to sign at some point this summer, but have yet to put pen to paper.

The Jets have been down this road before with high-profile draft picks remaining unsigned just days before training camp kicks off. Most recently, New York and Sam Darnold did not come to an agreement on offset language in Darnold’s rookie contract until a couple of days into training camp.

Wilson and Moore are both key cogs in Mike LaFleur’s offense, making it pertinent for the Jets that they get their contracts done as soon as possible. Wilson is New York’s prized potential franchise quarterback, while Moore strung together a standout spring and skyrocketed up the depth chart as a result. The more practice time those two have during training camp, the better their prospects of producing right off the bat once the regular season rolls around are.

The Jets will begin training camp practices on July 28.

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Why Robert Saleh is excited to endure adversity with Jets

Jets head coach Robert Saleh is eager to see how his team responds to the inevitable adversity that comes along with training camp.

When the going gets tough, Robert Saleh gets going — and he would like to see his team follow suit.

It is no secret by now that New York’s rookie head coach is all in, all the time. He set the tone during his introductory press conference with his “all gas, no brake” mantra and that led to a spring that Saleh deemed an overwhelming success.

But Saleh has been around the NFL long enough to know everything is not always roses. Failure at One Jets Drive at some point this upcoming year — whether it be in training camp, the preseason, or the regular season — is inevitable. It is part of any team’s rebuilding process and the Jets are still very much in the midst of construction.

Despite all the success that Saleh has enjoyed early in his tenure with New York, it is the eventual failure and adversity that he is looking forward to the most in year one.

“Everything’s been awesome,” Saleh said in an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “Call it the greatest honeymoon in the world, if you want. It’s been great. But I’m genuinely excited for adversity. Because a lot of different things are going to pop up. There are coaches that are going to find out about themselves. There’s the scouts and the GM, there’s myself, the players, the training staff. Everybody’s going to find out a little more about themselves when adversity hits.

“I think that’s when teams have their greatest amount of growth — it’s through adversity. And so with training camp, that’s what I’m most excited for. I wanna see how people respond.”

Some, if not most, NFL coaches would prefer to avoid adversity at all costs. Saleh is on the other end of the spectrum as a coach that embraces it. Considering the team he is inheriting, it is easy to understand why.

Adversity builds character. A big reason why the 49ers excelled under Kyle Shanahan was because of the failures they had to overcome to get to that point. Saleh had a front-row seat as the team’s defensive coordinator. Shanahan lost the first nine games of his tenure with San Francisco. Shanahan, Saleh and the rest of the 49ers’ coaching staff maintained hope for the future, though. Eventually, it all paid off and culminated in a trip to the Super Bowl.

That is not to say the Jets are going to be playing for a Lombardi Trophy early in Saleh’s tenure as the team’s head coach. But it is proof that adversity can lead to future triumph. Shanahan did not inherit a juggernaut in San Francisco and Saleh is not inheriting one in New York. With that will come struggles, struggles that the Jets can use as building blocks for success.

It would be nice if Saleh’s first training camp with the Jets goes swimmingly with absolutely no hiccups, but that is unlikely given the nature of football. Once those hiccups occur, Saleh will likely be watching on with a smile, waiting to see how his team responds to the challenges that face them.

The manner in which New York answers will go a long way in determining its ability to turn into a winner in 2021.

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Jets training camp 90-man roster preview: Safeties

Lamarcus Joyner and Marcus Maye give the Jets a solid safety tandem, but New York’s depth at the position is a question mark.

The Jets have struggled mightily in the secondary in recent years, but safety play has, for the most part, not been the main reason for New York’s shortcomings.

Marcus Maye was one of the Jets’ best players last season and is back to lead New York’s safety room in 2021. This upcoming season could be his last with New York depending on how contract negotiations play out, but the Jets can rest easy knowing they have at least one reliable defender on the back end of their secondary. Lamarcus Joyner also brings a lot to the table playing next to Maye, and Ashtyn Davis still carries plenty of potential with him into the new era of Jets football under Robert Saleh.

Here is a look at each safety currently on New York’s 90-man roster ahead of training camp.

All injured Jets expected to be ready for training camp

The Jets are making sure their players will be healthy before the 2021 season.

Robert Saleh expects every Jet who is recovering from an injury to be ready in time for training camp on July 27. He said the team does not have any Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) candidates.

This is fantastic news for the Jets considering two of the team’s best young stars, Mekhi Becton and Quinnen Williams, are dealing with injuries. Becton has been dealing with plantar fasciitis, while Williams underwent successful surgery in early May for a broken foot. Neither will practice this week at minicamp.

“We’re very confident [Becton will] be ready to go [by training camp],” Saleh said. “He’s just got a little nagging foot injury. It’s not worth it to put him out there and make something so small a lot worse.”

Corey Davis, who’s dealt with a shoulder injury for a few weeks, will only do individual drills this week. Safety Ashtyn Davis missed voluntary camp while rehabbing his late-season foot injury, but he is also expected to be at camp. The Jets don’t want to push any players who are just returning to practice or from injury.

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Quinnen Williams undergoes successful surgery on broken foot

Robert Saleh said Williams should be ready for training camp despite the injury.

The Jets will be without Quinnen Williams until training camp after the defensive tackle underwent successful surgery on his broken foot Friday, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Robert Saleh confirmed this report in a video conference with reporters Friday. He said the surgery “went well,” according to SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano.

“It could’ve been worse,” Saleh added. “It was something that was eventually going to happen. For it to happen now, rather than in training camp, the timing was good.”

Williams originally broke his foot while working out on the field at the Jets’ facility last week, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. This updated timetable means he’ll definitely miss most of the Jets’ offseason workouts, but Saleh said Williams should be healed in time for training camp.

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CB Nate Hairston among Jets’ cuts

The Jets cut cornerback Nate Hairston after one season with the team.

It’s been a year and a week to the day that Nate Hairston was acquired by the Jets in a trade with the Colts. Now the cornerback’s time in New York is up.

Hairston was cut by the Jets on Saturday after just one season with the team. The move saves the Jets just over $2 million in cap space. New York traded a conditional sixth-round pick to the Colts in exchange for Hairston last summer.

Hairston played in 11 games with six starts last season. His playing time increased when Trumaine Johnson started to struggle and eventually got hurt. Hairston recorded 24 tackles, three pass defenses and one interception in 2019.

In training camp, Hairston primarily worked with the starters as the slot cornerback due to Brian Poole’s bout with dehydration, which kept him out for a couple of weeks.

The 26-year-old Hairston was originally a fifth-round pick by the Colts in 2017 out of Temple. He played in 27 games for Indianapolis with 11 starts, 65 tackles, six pass breakups and one interception in two seasons.

Report: Jets cut LB James Burgess

The Jets’ first cut of the weekend is notable but no surprise. LB James Burgess did not make New York’s initial 53-man roster, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He was cut Friday, a day ahead of Saturday’s 4 p.m. deadline. A backup linebacker, …

The Jets’ first cut of the weekend is notable but no surprise.

LB James Burgess did not make New York’s initial 53-man roster, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He was cut Friday, a day ahead of Saturday’s 4 p.m. deadline.

A backup linebacker, Burgess has been cut nine times now in his NFL career, but he’s always found another opportunity. He re-signed with the Jets on a one-year deal this past offseason after initially joining the team as a waiver claim last May. Burgess stepped up when injuries plagued the Jets’ linebackers in 2019, recording 80 tackles, half a sack, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. The 26-year-old started 10 games.

Burgess exceeded expectations last year, but there was a numbers crunch at inside linebacker this summer. Burgess was getting reps behind Neville Hewitt, Blake Cashman and Avery Williamson in camp. Burgess also missed some time on the COVID-19 list. He was activated on Aug. 13.

Burgess proved he can be a dependable backup last season in New York, so chances are he will catch on quickly somewhere.