Tag: Alex Lewis

Jets vs. Bills inactives: Denzel Mims, Avery Williamson officially out for Week 1

Denzel Mims and Avery Williamson are among the inactive for the Jets’ season opener against the Bills.

The Jets are officially without two impact starters for their season opener against the Bills.

Denzel Mims and Avery Williamson are both inactive after being ruled out on Friday. After missing a chunk of training camp because of a hamstring injury, Mims hurt his good hamstring on Thursday and missed practice on Friday. According to Adam Gase, Mims could be a candidate for short-term injured reserve, but it remains to be seen if that is the direction New York opts to go.

Williamson was set to return from a torn ACL suffered in the 2019 preseason on Sunday, but he will have to wait at least another week to get back on the field. With Williamson and Patrick Onwuasor (injured reserve) sidelined, Blake Cashman and Neville Hewitt will start at inside linebacker. Harvey Langi, who primarily plays outside linebacker, will serve as a backup.

Joe Flacco (neck) and running back La’Mical Perine (ankle) are also out for the Jets. New York signed Mike White to serve as Sam Darnold’s back up against Buffalo and promoted Josh Adams from the practice squad to take Perine’s place. White has no regular season experience, while Adams rushed eight times for only 12 yards with the Jets in 2019.

Tarell Basham (ankle), Jamison Crowder (hamstring), Alex Lewis (shoulder), Marcus Maye (calf/ankle), Breshad Perriman (knee) and Nathan Shepherd are all active. Lewis and Maye were questionable leading up to Sunday, but will suit up for New York. Wide receiver Josh Malone is also up from the practice squad.

As for the Bills, they are without starting cornerback Josh Norman, who landed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury on Saturday. Defensive tackle Vernon Butler (hamstring) is inactive, as is rookie defensive end A.J. Epenesa.

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Jets injury report: Denzel Mims, Avery Williamson ruled out vs. Bills

Denzel Mims and Avery Williamson have both been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Bills.

The New York Jets will be without one key player on offense and defense against Buffalo.

Wide receiver Denzel Mims (hamstrings) and linebacker Avery Williamson (hamstring) were both ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Bills. Mims hurt his good hamstring on Thursday and did not practice Friday. Adam Gase told the media Friday that Mims could be a candidate for short-term injured reserve, but he’ll discuss that with Joe Douglas. Gase added that he “feels like [expletive]” for Mims because the rookie was just getting back from his first hamstring injury.

As expected, quarterback Joe Flacco (neck) and running back La’Mical Perine (ankle) are both out. The Jets will either promote David Fales or Mike White from their practice squad in place of Flacco.

Safety Marcus Maye (calf/ankle) is listed as questionable, but he is expected to play Sunday after a limited practice on Friday. Guard Alex Lewis (shoulder) is also questionable but should play.

LB Tarell Basham (ankle), WR Jamison Crowder (hamstring), WR Breshad Perriman (knee) and DL Nathan Shepherd (rib) all fully participated in Friday’s practice. Shepherd was just added to Friday’s injury report.

As for the Bills, cornerback Josh Norman has been ruled out with a hamstring injury, which could benefit New York’s limited group of receivers. Meanwhile, defensive tackle Vernon Butler is questionable with a hamstring injury.

Jets Injury Report: Marcus Maye, Denzel Mims suffer setbacks

Jets Injury Report 9/10/20.

After getting a somewhat clean bill of health on Wednesday, the Jets received some blows on Thursday’s injury report.

Safety Marcus Maye, who was already dealing with a calf injury, did not participate in Thursday’s practice with a new ankle injury. Although Maye had a fantastic training camp in which he stepped up into a new role, his status for Sunday’s game is now up in the air.

Rookie wide receiver Denzel Mims, who was a full participant on Wednesday, was downgraded to limited. Mims’ hamstring injury is now listed plurally as “hamstrings.” Needless to say, this development jeopardizes Mimsā€™ chances of making his debut on Sunday.

As for Avery Williamson, the veteran linebacker was held out of practice with a hamstring injury. The Jets added Alec Ogletree to their practice squad as Williamson deals with yet another injury.

Tarell Basham (ankle), Joe Flacco (neck) and Alex Lewis (shoulder) were also limited on Thursday. Flacco is not expected to be ready to go for Week 1 as he works his way back from offseason neck surgery, but both Basham and Lewis are expected to be ready to go for Sunday’s game.

Receivers Jamison Crowder (hamstring) and Breshad Perriman (knee) were both full participants on Thursday while running back Frank Gore enjoyed a veteran rest day.

Jets Injury Report: La’Mical Perine misses practice, Denzel Mims and Breshad Perriman full participants

Jets Injury Report 9/9/20.

La’Mical Perine’s prospects of making his NFL debut against the Bills on Sunday are not looking too good.

New York’s rookie running back missed practice on Wednesday due to an ankle injury that has been bothering him for over a week. The injury is not considered to be serious, but Perine’s status for Week 1 is in jeopardy at this point. In the event Perine cannot suit up this weekend, Josh Adams will likely be called up from the practice squad to take his place.

Tarell Basham, Joe Flacco, Alex Lewis, Marcus Maye and Avery Williamson were also limited on Wednesday. Flacco is not expected to be ready to go for Week 1 as he works his way back from offseason neck surgery, but Basham, Lewis, Maye and Williamson should be ready to go for Sunday. Assuming Flacco can’t play this weekend, David Fales or Mike White will be called up from the practice squad to serve as Sam Darnold’s backup.

Every other player on New York’s 53-man roster was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, including Denzel Mims and Breshad Perriman. This is an encouraging development for the Jets, as both players have been plagued by injuries throughout training camp. Mims missed significant time with a hamstring injury, while a barking knee kept Perriman out of action for a couple of weeks.

With Mims and Perriman back and full participants in practice, New York’s starting wide receiver is once again complete, giving Darnold his top three weapons to work with when he takes the field for the first time in 2020 on Sunday.

Punches thrown by Jordan Jenkins during Jets’ Sunday morning practice brawl

Tensions boiled over at Jets practice on Sunday morning.

Tensions boiled over at Jets practice on Sunday morning.

According to multiple reports, practice first got heated when OL Alex Lewis and LB Neville Hewitt went after each other verbally. Things got physical on the next play when LB Jordan Jenkins threw a few punches at Lewis, who was blocking downfield. Jenkins remained irate on the sideline and went after OL Greg Van Roten, who tried to break up the initial skirmish with Lewis. Jenkins and Van Roten had to be separated by coaches.

When the fighting died down, Sam Darnold, Le’Veon Bell and Marcus Maye all made attempts to cool Jenkins off. The starting offense and defense soon returned to the field, with Jenkins lining up with Van Roten in the trenches. Once again, words and shoves were exchanged, but nothing more this time.

A few touchdown throws later, a rather chippy practice came to an end.

Alex Lewis’ nickname for Mekhi Becton? ‘The Great Wall of Green’

New York Jets veteran OL Alex Lewis has quite the nickname for his rookie counterpart Mekhi Becton.

Much has been made of Mekhi Becton’s size since the Jets drafted him 11th overall this offseason, but Alex Lewis came up with a nickname that perfectly described the tackle’s stature.

“I call that rookie ā€˜The Great Wall of Green.ā€™ Heā€™s massive,ā€ Lewis, who will line up next to Becton, said Thursday.

“Heā€™s 6-8 and 360 [pounds] and he looks great,” Lewis continued. “Iā€™m excited to see what he can do when we put pads on. I know heā€™s coming in, heā€™s quiet, as a rookie should be. Heā€™s a sponge, heā€™s soaking up everything weā€™re telling him. Iā€™m looking forward to seeing what he can do.”

Becton, who has drawn attention for his sheer size and length, is looking to become a cornerstone at left tackle for New York, something the Jets haveĀ been searching for since D’Brickashaw Ferguson retired. Not only can Becton be Sam Darnold’s blindside protector for years to come, but he can also be a bully in the running game as well. That should help Le’Veon Bell bounce back from a disappointing 2019 season.

There were some concerns about Becton’s weight coming out of Louisville, but Adam Gase has been impressed with the rookie’s dedication to his training. The head coach agreed with Lewis’ “he looks great” assessment, stating that Becton appears “lean” despite his size.

“He did a great job of sticking with the program and what he was doing in the offseason all through the summer,” Gase said Wednesday.

With Lewis likely to start the season at left guard, the Jets will pair their rookie next to the longest-tenured starter on the offensive line. While Lewis has just 12 games under his belt in green and white, he still has an understanding of what both Gase and offensive line coach Frank Pollack like to do schematically. The hope is that Lewis will serve as a mentor for the 21-year-old Becton.

When the pads come on Aug. 17, the Jets will finally get a glimpse of what Becton can do with his size and the knowledge he’s accumulated so far.

Jets’ starting offensive line will have 100% turnover in 2020

With Brian Winters bound for Buffalo, the New York Jets starting offensive line will be completely turned over from the season before.

By releasing Brian Winters on Sunday, the Jets committed to their starting lineup having a 100 percent turnover in 2020.

In 2019, New York’s Week 1 starting offensive line consisted of Kelvin Beachum and Kelechi Osemele on the left side, Ryan Kalil in the middle, and Winters and Brandon Shell filling out the right side.

Behind an offensive line that had little chemistry, the Jets offense sputtered. In Adam Gase’s first season as head coach, New York’s offensive unit ranked 31st in points per game, 32nd in yards per game and 32nd in yards per play.

The Jets averaged just 0.7 rushing yards before contact per attempt, which was dead last in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. Also, NewĀ York allowed pressure in 2.5 seconds or less on 27.5 percent of its dropbacks, which was the second-highest in the league.

This was a large part of why Sam Darnold had little to no time to make plays happen. Jets quarterbacks were sacked 52 times in 2019, which was the fourth-highest mark in the league.

Joe Douglas made it his pet project this offseason to rebuild the Jets offensive line. He spent all offseason plugging holes in the trenches to ensure that Darnold and the offense can experience heightened success in 2020 and beyond.

The Jets showed no interest in bringing back members of last year’s starting lineup. Beachum and Shell signed one-year pacts with the Cardinals and Seahawks, respectively. Osemele, who played just three games with Gang Green before he was released due to an injury dispute, signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs. Kalil is likely to choose retirement again after the Jets talked him out of it last year and got poor results.

Douglas’ first order of business was signing swing tackle GeorgeĀ Fant to a three-year, $30 million contract. Right now, Fant is penciled in as the opening day starter at right tackle. Staying on the right side, Greg Van Roten signed aĀ three-year, $10.5 million deal and will slide in at right guard in Winters’ absence.

Shaping things up in the middle, Douglas signed Connor McGovern to a three-year, $27 million deal. He will be New York’s starter at center. Alex Lewis, who did an admirable job filling in for Osemele, is now assured a starting spot at left guard with Winters gone. As for left tackle, it’s now stationed by Mekhi Becton, New York’s first-round pick out of Lousiville.

While the Jets offensive line will yet again need to work on its chemistry, a roster turnover was necessary considering how the offense plateauedĀ behind such a lackluster unit in 2019.

Updated look at Jets’ offensive line depth chart after Brian Winters’ release

Jets Wire takes a look at New York’s updated offensive line depth chart, following the team’s release of Brian Winters.

The Jets’ decision to release Brian Winters was not surprising, though the timing was a bit.

Winters has long been viewed as a potential cap casualty, but New York indicated that it would give him an opportunity to compete for the starting right guard position this summer. After C.J. Mosley opted out of the 2020 NFL season, though, Avery Williamson’s roster spot became safer and Winters moved to the top of the list of salary-saving options.

Clearly, the Jets are comfortable with the team’s current depth on the offensive line. At the same time, the Jets were able to save $7.2 million by releasing Winters, freeing up cap space that can be rolled over to 2021 or used to help mitigate some of the team’s holes.

Winters’ departure opens up an opportunity for one of Joe Douglas’ offseason acquisitions — Greg Van Roten — to slide into the starting lineup. Van Roten started 11 games for the Panthers in 2019 before a toe injury prematurely ended his season. The Jets signed Van Roten to a three-year, $10.5 million deal back in March. He has the versatility to play either guard position or right tackle, but for now, he figures to be Winters’ replacement on the right side.

Staying on the right side, George Fant is expected to be the Jets’ starting right tackle. He will see some competition from swing tackle Chuma Edoga, but Fant’s experience and his contract should give him the upper-hand. Another offseason addition, Connor McGovern, will be the man in the middle for New York. He will be the Jets’ fourth attempt at replacing Nick Mangold since 2017. Some stability and consistency under center should pay dividends for Sam Darnold’s development.

New York re-signed Alex Lewis to be part of the offensive line rotation, but with Winters’ release, he’s assured a return to the starting lineup. Next to Lewis on his left will be Gang Green’s first-round pick, Mekhi Becton. Becton is expected to be a mainstay on Darnold’s blindside for years to come.

As for the rest of the depth chart, both Jonotthan Harrison and Josh Andrews have the positional flexibility to fill in at guard and center. The presence of these two veterans made Winters and his price-tag expendable. Another depth piece that New York remains excited about is Cameron Clark. A fourth-round pick out of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Clark figures to be New York’s long-term answer next to Becton. For now, his versatility on the left side gives the Jets some youth and comfortability.

Jared Hilbers, Conor McDermott and Ben Braden will endure a training camp battle, fighting for that 10th and final spot on New York’s o-line depth chart.

The Jets’ 4 most overlooked offseason moves

A look at a few Jets moves that went under the radar this offseason.

The Jets were able to upgrade on both sides of the ball this offseason despite mostly handing out one-year and low-risk deals.

Joe Douglas added a bunch of players with something to prove, though some moves have gone under the radar more than others. After all, not everyone has the resumes thatĀ Joe Flacco or Frank Gore do. Nor have some players received the spotlight that top draft picks Mekhi Becton and Denzel Mims have received.

With that said, let’s take a look at four of the Jets’ most overlooked offseason moves.

WR Josh Doctson

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

A former first-round pick out of TCU, Doctson flamed out in Washington and played just seven snaps in Minnesota before he was released. The potential with Doctson has always been there. However, he’s never been able to put it together, mostly due to suffering multiple injuries since he entered the league in 2016.

In February, Joe Douglas gave the 27-year-old wideout a one-year deal. Doctson is the type of low-risk, high-reward player that has an opportunity to make an impact, especially when considering the lack of talent and depth at wide receiver.

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Jets’ Alex Lewis rips NFL over lack of pandemic plan with training camp approaching

With the start of camp approaching, the NFL has yet to detail how it will play through a pandemic. Jets G Alex Lewis is not happy.Ā  Ā Ā 

With the start of training camp fast approaching, the NFL has yet to detail how it will play through a global pandemic. Alex Lewis, for one, is not happy with the league’s glacial approach to the matter.

The Jets guard took to Instagram on Wednesday to make his displeasure known. Lewis ripped the league in his story, writing that players have yet to receive any sort of plan for dealing with COVID-19.

“We are three weeks out from reporting to camp. We have yet [to receive] answers to how the NFL plans to handle a season and covid,” Lewis wrote. “I am not going to be a guine[a] pig. Nor am I going out there to just ‘wing it.’ This is ridiculous.”

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the NFL and NFLPA agreed to a July 28 report date for training camp, but that the two sides were still discussing proper protocols. That report came on June 24.

As demonstrated by the sports that have already returned to action or are about to, detailed policies for everything — from virus testing to travel, to practice to media availability, to rules changes and dining — are essential. The NBA’s guide to health and safety protocols inside its Disney bubble, for example, is 108 pages long. It’s thorough to the point that it includes parameters for rec room ping-pong and instructions on how to properly sanitize a basketball.

In other words, if the NFL wants players to believe that it is taking their safety seriously, it needs to put a plan together soon. Like a playbook, this is information that players need to spend time with. The same goes for coaches, front office members, media, families and anyone else coming into contact with those at NFL facilities.

Until that happens, no one should be in a rush to arrive at training camp.

“I want to see a game plan set in place,” Lewis concluded in his post. “[One] that protects the athletes and the families of the athletes.”