However, the second-year quarterback was unable to lead the Titans to the end zone and they fell to 0-2.
Rodgers threw touchdown passes to Allen and Breece Hall. It was the first time since 1994 the Jets had two running backs score on touchdown passes in a game.
The Jets acquired Reddick in return for a third-round pick with conditions that could upgrade it to a second-rounder from the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this year.
He has not reported to camp and the player and team are at an impasse.
Reddick has 50.5 sacks and 83 quarterback hits the past four seasons with the Cardinals, Panthers and Eagles.
Requesting a trade after being traded because you requested a trade because you want to be paid. 🔥
Le’Veon Bell hasn’t played in Adam Gase’s offense since 2020, but there’s one Gase play call that Bell still has nightmares about.
From 2013 through 2017, Le’Veon Bell of the Pittsburgh Steelers was one of the best running backs in pro football. The Michigan State alum mystified enemy defenses with a running style that alternated between patient and explosive, and receiving chops unparalleled among players at his position. I’ve said before that Bell could have succeeded in the NFL if he were just a slot receiver.
Then, there was the contract dispute. The Steelers gave Bell the franchise tag for the second straight season in 2018, and he sat out the entire season in response. He then signed a four-year, $52.5 million deal with the New York Jets before the 2019 season, and that put him in head coach Adam Gase’s sights. That match did not go well at all — Bell ran 245 times for just 789 yards and three touchdowns in his first season with the Jets, and managed just 74 rushing yards on 19 carries in 2020 before the team released him.
Gase was not highly regraded as an offensive mind when he was the head coach of the Jets or the Miami Dolphins before that, and as Bell revealed on social media this week, there was one particular play call that drove him nuts.
I still randomly think about how PISSED I used to be in the huddle when Adam Gase would call “21 dive” on 2nd & 10 …
It’s not uncommon for players to blame their coaches at least in part when play designs don’t work, but Bell had a point. 21 Dive, which required Bell to hit the line between the tackles as quickly as possible to try and get yardage that way, is generally more of a short-yardage and red zone concept that takes advantage of penetrating defensive linemen. Gase seemed to think that it was just fine for disadvantageous situations.
Le'Veon Bell on runs in second-and-10 or more situations in 2019: 32 carries, 105 yards, hit at the line 12 times, seven stuffs, and a league-low EPA of -10.84 (-0.34 per attempt). https://t.co/QpUemu4cAB
Underrated defensive back Ashtyn Davis made himself an important part of the Jets’ defense last season.
The Jets’ pure disaster at quarterback last season took far too much attention away from a defense that was trying to hold the entire foundation up by itself, and nearly got away with it.
Chief among Gang Green’s secondary, of course, are cornerbacks Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed, and Michael Carter. But one guy who really stepped up in coverage was safety Ashtyn Davis, the 2020 third-round pick out of Cal who showed a lot of deep-third attributes in college, and has taken them all the way to the NFL.
In 2023, covering everywhere from the slot to the back third of the defense, Davis allowed 13 catches on 22 targets for 107 yards, 86 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, three interceptions, eight pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 32.0 — which is about as much as you can ask from any defensive back. Davis’ tape shows some issues against the run, but he’s clearly all in when it’s time to prevent quarterbacks and receivers from getting what they want.
Ashtyn Davis of the @nyjets probably wouldn't be my first choice in run support, but I would definitely want him out there to cover in slot press to the deep third. Natural speed and quickness to the ball, and he's improved his tracking abilities. 2023 was a bit of a revelation. pic.twitter.com/DpvlaLNXCI
In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get deep into a new press coverage revolution in today’s NFL.
Over the last few seasons in the NFL, a lot of coaches and executives have tailored their defensive schemes in one specific fashion — an increase in press coverage from their cornerbacks. Not only the old-school aggressive press-man coverage we all know, but also mirror-match press man coverage, where a cornerback trails the receiver through his route as the route is declared.
Why? Because NFL offenses have found all kinds of ways to beat the old Seattle Cover-3 stuff from a decade ago with 3×1 and 2×2 receiver sets, and the route concepts inherent in those deployments. Now, if you’re rolling out that “Country Cover-3,” your defense is going to be in trouble.
There’s also the element of quick game in the league, which has increased in recent years. When the quarterback is throwing out of zero- to three-step drops, there are times when edge defenders simply don’t have time to get to the quarterback before the ball comes out. So, logic dictates that if you can’t disrupt the quarterback in the timing of the down, you need to disrupt the timing of the receivers’ routes, forcing the quarterback to delay his reads and throws, and giving those pass-rushers that extra split millisecond to get home.
In this week’s edition of “The Xs and Os,” Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup, and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire and the USA Today Sports Media Group, investigate the NFL’s changes in press coverage, and the players who do it the best, including...
L’Jarius Sneed of the Titans;
A.J. Terrell of the Falcons;
Martin Emerson Jr. of the Browns;
Patrick Surtain Jr. of the Broncos;
Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner of the Jets; and
Joey Porter Jr. of the Steelers.
You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell” right here:
You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…
The Jets are going to acquire Haason Reddick from the Eagles
Aaron Rodgers will have company in another player who is trading green uniforms for another green.
The New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles are working on a trade that will send Haason Reddick to the AFC East for the 2024 season.
Trade: Eagles are sending edge-rusher Haason Reddick to the New York Jets for a conditional 2026 third-round pick that could be a second, sources tell ESPN.
The 2026 pick becomes a 2nd if Reddick has 67.5% playtime this season and has 10 or more sacks. If not, it’s a 2023 third pic.twitter.com/AcjiqZE2L4
The cost will be a conditional third-round pick that could boost to a second-rounder.
Reddick is a premier pass-rusher. He has played for three teams since 2020 — Arizona, Carolina, and Philly — and notched double-digit sacks in each season.
Overall, he has 58 career sacks, 50 coming in the last four seasons.
2024 NFL free agency is just about in the books, so it’s time for Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar to analyze the biggest transactions in the second wave.
Now that most of NFL free agency for the 2024 league year is in the bag — though there are a few helpful players still on the open market — it’s time for Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup, and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire, to recap the biggest and most important moves in the second wave of this free agency phase. Greg and Doug covered the first day of free agency last week in the Xs and Os; here’s the conclusion.
Among the discussion points:
What does Brian Burns bring to a Giants defensive line that already has Kayvon Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence?
Can Justin Fields become the best version of himself in the Steelers’ offense?
Conversely, can Kenny Pickett turn his career around with the Eagles?
How can Calvin Ridley use his true X-Iso skill set to ramp up the Titans’ offense?
Can the Texans’ addition of Danielle Hunter, along with Will Anderson Jr. and Denico Autry, make Houston’s defensive line a Super Bowl-level group?
What can Hollywood Brown do for the Chiefs?
Tyron Smith is a future Hall of Famer, but what will he be able to do for the Jets’ offensive line in the short term?
Chase Young has been an inconsistent pass-rusher throughout his NFL career; can he turn it around with the Saints?
The Lions made important additions to their defensive line and their secondary; can all that put them over the top?
The Falcons already have a ton of weapons for new quarterback Kirk Cousins. How will the addition of receiver Rondale Moore affect what looks like one of like the NFL’s most explosive offenses (in theory, at least)?
The Eagles added a major chip to their redefined defense by agreeing to terms with former Jets pass-rushing demon Bryce Huff.
The Philadelphia Eagles are redefining their defense to a degree under new coordinator Vic Fangio, and they got a major piece in free agency when they agreed to terms with ex-New York Jets edge-rusher Bryce Huff.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Huff makes a bit of history with his upcoming contract.
Jets free-agent DE Bryce Huff is signing a three-year, $51.1 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles once free agency opens, per sources. The deal will make Huff the highest-paid non-QB undrafted free agent in NFL history, per sources. pic.twitter.com/EkPiFlRss0
Through his first three seasons with the Jets, Huff was not a top-tier consideration, though his four sacks and 36 total pressures in just 173 pass-rushing snaps in 2022 was a bit of a harbinger. But 2023 was unexpected to say the least; Huff totaled 10 sacks and 67 total pressures on just 334 pass-rushing snaps.
So, there shouldn’t really be a concern about Huff being any kind of one-year wonder; he just had more opportunities to demolish opposing blockers in 2023. More likely than not, is specific top-five pass-rush win rate will continue. If that’s the case, expect to hear his name more often when we’re talking about the best edge-rushers in the league.
No matter the weather, Bryce Huff is going to kick your quarterback's ass, and he has all kinds of ways to do it. pic.twitter.com/FfgNj4zaxf
