Joint practices are making their return after taking a year off, and the Jets are taking advantage.
New York and the Green Bay Packers will conduct joint practices with each other on Aug. 18 and 19 ahead of their preseason game, according to the New York Post’s Brian Costello.
The practices will be held in Green Bay, where the game will take place at 4:25 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 21. New York has not held a joint practice with any team since 2018 when it visited Washington in Richmond, Virginia.
The Jets coaching staff has a handful of connections with the Packers staff. Most notably, Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur is the younger brother of Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. In addition, Jets head coach Robert Saleh and Matt LaFleur worked together on the Central Michigan coaching staff in 2004. Saleh was a defensive assistant, while LaFleur was a graduate assistant. The two became close during their time there.
The joint session will be a good test for a young Jets team to get some more game-like reps against one of the NFL’s top teams. The NFL preseason was shortened from four games to three this year, so it’s one fewer game for younger players to prove their worth.
The Jets currently have 22 rookies and a good amount of them will have a significant role on this team. Zach Wilson, the Jets’ top draft choice in 2021, has the highest expectations among all the rookies, and he’ll need as much practice time as possible.
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