Blake Cashman looked buried on the depth chart when the Jets arrived for training camp with eight linebackers on the roster. With starters C.J. Mosley and Avery Williamson back from injury, the free agent signing of Patrick Onwuasor and the retention of Neville Hewitt and James Burgess, Cashman didn’t have a clear path to playing time despite a promising rookie campaign in 2019.
But now that Mosley won’t play in 2020 after opting out, Cashman suddenly has another opportunity to remind his coaches why they promoted him to a starting job in Week 2 last year.
Cashman earned a big role in the Jets defense last season after the team promoted him to starting inside linebacker following injuries the injuries to Williamson and Mosley. He started five of the next six games, averaged 67 snaps and tallied 38 combined tackles, three quarterback hits and half a sack.
But, like most players on the Jets in 2019, a devastating injury befell the young Cashman and he missed the final nine games of the season with a shoulder tear.
The injury soiled a promising rookie. Now Cashman has to prove himself all over again in his second season – both in his recovery and his ability.
“I understand as a young player, going from Year One to Year Two, you’re expected to make a big leap,” Cashman told the team website in February, “so I definitely want to put myself in the best position possible to do that.”
Nothing is guaranteed for Cashman because he’ll be competing against players with more, starting experience.
Onwuasor has the inside track to take Mosley’s job, mostly because he’s done it before in Baltimore when Mosley signed with the Jets in 2019. Hewitt, too, should be a contender for the second inside linebacker spot after he started 12 games in 2019. Burgess took over for Cashman in Week 7 and started the final 10 games of the season, but he’s currently on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
Cashman could be the answer, but the more likely scenario is a mix-and-match of these linebackers alongside Williamson in the middle. All four have different strengths and weaknesses so it will be paramount for Gregg Williams to build schemes that align with a player’s skillset.
Cashman, for example, is a strong coverage linebacker. He excelled in 2019 in defending the pass, allowing only 0.95 yards per cover snap and 6.0 yards per target, according to Michael Nania.
The Jets have a bounty of starting-caliber replacements for Mosley in the middle of the defense. Will it be enough to supplant Mosley’s leadership and production? It’s hard to tell this offseason, but Williams has worked with less in the past – including the 2019 Jets.
Cashman will likely start behind everyone else as he eases back into play, but he proved in his rookie season he can move up quickly into a starting role.