It looks like Jamien Sherwood is going to have a lot on his plate against the Patriots on Sunday afternoon.
C.J. Mosley is doubtful against New England due to a hamstring injury suffered at the end of the Jets’ Week 5 loss to the Falcons. Assuming Mosley does not play, Sherwood will shift to the MIKE linebacker role and handle all of Mosley’s play-calling duties from the middle of Jeff Ulbrich’s defense.
Sherwood is inexperienced — Robert Saleh conceded as much earlier this week — but New York still trusts him to get the job done if Mosley cannot play. The rookie garnered praise from Ulbrich for his high football I.Q. during the summer. That intelligence and Sherwood’s natural playmaking ability has Gang Green’s defensive coordinator comfortable seeing what Sherwood can accomplish in a key role.
“Jamien, he’s an unusual rookie because, you know, rookies, they’re so known for not necessarily having the awareness, the ability to communicate, all those things, whereas Jamien is not that at all,” Ulbrich said Thursday. “He carries himself like a vet. He communicates like a vet. Although he doesn’t have the experience that a C.J. has, he’s a guy that we have a lot of trust in. So, if C.J. can’t go, Jamien will be our guy.”
Sherwood battled an ankle injury at the beginning of the season but has slowly started to take on a more prominent role in the Jets’ defense — especially since Hamsah Nasirildeen landed on injured reserve. The Auburn product played nearly half of New York’s defensive snaps in London and took advantage of the uptick in playing time to make his fair share of plays.
Could starting at the MIKE take Sherwood’s production up another notch? It won’t be easy for him to go up a Patriots offense that is led by Josh McDaniels, who is notorious for exposing young defenders, but the Jets are hopeful the 21-year-old can slot in for Mosley if needed.
“He studies his butt off,” Saleh said of Sherwood before praising the fifth-round pick’s tackling skills. “He belongs.”
At the very least, the Jets trust Sherwood. That speaks volumes about where he is at so early in his career.
[listicle id=659253]
[listicle id=668809]