Tag: cj uzomah

Auburn in the NFL: Week 9 Recap

Daniel Carlson helped secure a win for his new head coach, C.J. Uzomah and the Jets couldn’t complete a Monday Night comeback, Roger McCreary has been cleared to return in week 10, and Anders Carlson was shaky again in the Packers win.

The NFL season is already over halfway over as we approach the holiday months.

As we do every week, Auburn Wire will take a look at some of the most notable performances from Auburn Alumni across the League.

NFL Week 9 was a very quiet week for former Tigers, but there were some noteworthy storylines nonetheless. Las Vegas Raiders kicker [autotag]Daniel Carlson[/autotag] helped secure a win for his new head coach, [autotag]C.J. Uzomah[/autotag] and the Jets couldn’t complete a Monday Night comeback, [autotag]Roger McCreary[/autotag] has been cleared to return in week 10, and [autotag]Anders Carlson[/autotag] was shaky again in the Packers win.

Here is a look at several headlines from Week 9 that feature Auburn’s top NFL players.

Tight ends ‘feasted’ in practice Sunday, C.J. Uzomah believes group can exploit defenses

The tight end group could sneak up on overlookers this season.

All the focus this offseason for the Jets has been on the quarterback and some of the new weapons on the outside. But Sunday was a reminder that the tight end group is one not to be overlooked.

By many accounts, the tight ends as a whole had a great day Sunday. They “feasted” as C.J. Uzomah put it.

The top three tight ends for the Jets — Tyler Conklin, Uzomah and Jeremy Ruckert — all look like they’re going to have a role on offense this season.

“All three of us can do anything,” Uzomah said Sunday. “Ware all sneaky fast. The playbook is wide open for all of us and we can really exploit defenses.”

Uzomah also believes all three tight ends are on the same page. If they can get all three involved, especially second-year tight end Ruckert, that only raises the ceiling of what this offense can do.

Conklin was second on the team in catches (58), yards (552) and touchdowns (3) last season. Uzomah added a pair of touchdowns. The Jets are high on Ruckert as well, who has been having a strong offseason and worked hard to come back from his injuries last season.

Defenses are going to be stressed trying to cover the wide group of targets the Jets will have this season. We know about the group outside. Don’t forget about the group inside.

Jets restructure C.J. Uzomah’s contract, create $3.6 million in cap space

Jets restructure Uzomah’s contract

The Jets have begun their path to being under the salary cap before the new league year begins March 15 and also create more room to work with.

Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Jets converted $4.5 million of TE C.J. Uzomah’s salary into a bonus. That cleared $3.6 million in cap space for the Jets.

Uzomah was already guaranteed $7 million for 2023. Now the Jets are able to spread some of that money into 2024.

The Jets will likely still make some moves before next week. Corey Davis is expected to be released, which would save about $10 million. Braxton Berrios could be cut or asked to take a pay cut. Then there’s the $15 million decision on Carl Lawson.

Jets Wednesday injury report: C.J. Uzomah returns to the field

C.J. Uzomah returning to practice Wednesday highlights the first injury report of Week 3.

The Jets have begun preparations for Week 3 and the Cincinnati Bengals and they received some good news regarding one of their top tight ends Wednesday.

C.J. Uzomah, who missed Week 2 against the Browns with a hamstring injury, returned to practice on a limited basis Wednesday, an early positive sign that he could be in action against his former team.

Only two Jets players did not practice Wednesday: OT George Fant (knee) and DL John Franklin-Myers. Fant has been given rest days on Wednesdays so far this season. Franklin-Myers was banged up during the Browns game on Sunday.

Besides Uzomah, safety Jordan Whitehead (calf), DT Quinnen Williams (foot) and QB Zach Wilson (knee) were all limited Wednesday. Wilson will continue individual work this week and the hope continues to be he will be back in the lineup in Week 4 against the Steelers.

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C.J. Uzomah on Zach Wilson: ‘This dude is stupid athletic’

Jets TE C.J. Uzomah had some interesting words about how athletic he thinks QB Zach Wilson is.

Find you someone that loves you the way Jets tight end C.J. Uzomah loves QB Zach Wilson.

First, it was the “TIME Person of the Year” shirt with Wilson’s picture on it that Uzomah donned as the team reported to training camp. Now, it’s the way Uzomah talked up Wilson after Saturday’s scrimmage.

”Bro, this dude is stupid athletic,” Uzomah told reporters after the scrimmage Saturday. One interesting note about this quote is that Uzomah comes over from Cincinnati, where he worked every day with Joe Burrow, who is not too bad of a quarterback himself.

Yes, Wilson only threw nine touchdowns passes and 11 interceptions as a rookie, but he did also rush for four touchdowns and averaged over six yards per carry.

Obviously, Uzomah wants to shine his new quarterback in a positive light but you can tell he is very excited for his first season with the Jets and Wilson. We’ll see if Wilson can really be “Person of the Year” this season and if Uzomah will need to update his shirt next year.

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Jets’ Mekhi Becton got himself C.J. Uzomah’s Zach Wilson t-shirt

#Jets’ Mekhi Becton got himself C.J. Uzomah’s Zach Wilson t-shirt:

Tight end CJ Uzomah dusted off an excellent piece of clothing for the start of Jets camp last week. It was a hilarous shirt of quarterback Zach Wilson as the Time Magazine “Person of the Year.”

Mekhi Becton found out the distributor carries extra large sizes.

The Jets left tackle posted to his social media account on Instagram on Thursday. In the photo on his story, he’s wearing one of the same shirts.

Looks like Uzomah’s idea was a hit in the locker room as well.

Check out Becton’s story below:

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How Jets’ Tyler Conklin got extra insight at ‘Tight End University’

How #Jets’ Tyler Conklin got extra insight at ‘Tight End University’

The New York Jets revamped much of their offense during the offseason. Tight end room included.

After the team had already signed CJ Uzomah they doubled down with Tyler Conklin. He signed on the dotted line in free agency as well.

During the offseason, Conklin has been putting in the work in order to get on the same page as Uzomah and the rest of the Jets offense. Further helping him get there was an extracurricular activity at “Tight End University.”

Last offseason, NFL All-Pro tight ends George Kittle and Travis Kelce joined with the retired Greg Olsen to create the concept. It’s a spinoff of something the Buffalo Bills’ Von Miller created for pass rushers years ago, his “Pass Rush Summit.”

Kittle is where Conklin got the extra insight from.

New York offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur followed head coach Robert Saleh to the Jets in 2020 via San Francisco. Because of that, Kittle, the 49ers’ tight end, knows LaFleur’s system well and he gave Conklin some intel to know.

“I got to talk to George a little bit and what makes him successful in the run game in this system along with the pass game,” Conklin said via video conference from training camp. “That was one of the things I was most excited about going down there, talking to him, getting insight, with the staff coming from San Francisco.”

“It was a cool experience,” he added.

Thanks to that and the plans he’s gotten from the coaching staff in New York, Conklin said he’s confident things will go well. Conklin referenced that him and Uzomah are going to mesh, too.

“I think we’re all going to complement each other really well at all position groups. Whether it’s–we have really talented receivers, obviously talented tight end room, the running backs, the offensive line. I just think the pieces we have on offense are going to complement each other really well,” Conklin said. “CJ and I have talked a lot and we’re really excited.”

Earlier this offseason, Saleh already had echoed a similar sentiment.

“C.J., obviously a big, wide tight end. Really good in the flats, running high crosses. Getting him on the move, right? ” Saleh said in April. “And then Conklin, who’s also a very good run blocker, may not be as big but has all the grit and nastiness that you’d want out of a tight end. At the same time, his ability to win those one-on-ones, to work in man coverage and shake and create separation. He’s able to do that.”

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C.J. Uzomah has no doubt Zach Wilson will make Year 2 leap like Joe Burrow

C.J. Uzomah says it’s not a question of whether Zach Wilson will make a Year 2 leap like Joe Burrow.

“He will.”

All eyes will be on Zach Wilson this season as he tries to rebound from an up-and-down rookie year with the Jets. Fans expect him to be the franchise’s savior, much like the way Joe Burrow pulled the Bengals out from a five-year slump and into the Super Bowl last season.

The Jets would love if Wilson improves the way Burrow did last year, becoming one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL. And in the event that it happens, they could become contenders in the AFC East.

New Jets tight end C.J. Uzomah was asked Thursday what it might look like if Wilson makes a Year 2 leap like Burrow, but he’s not interested in hypotheticals. Uzomah knows Wilson will improve in a similar fashion.

Uzomah is clearly a big fan of Wilson, which we got a sense of when he arrived to training camp wearing a shirt with Wilson’s picture on a Time “Person of the Year” cover.

Having a tight end with that sort of confidence in you should only help Wilson’s development in Year 2.

Zach Wilson, C.J. Uzomah enjoyed their stay at Gozzer Ranch with Wayne Gretzky

Zach Wilson, C.J. Uzomah enjoyed their stay at Gozzer Ranch with Wayne Gretzky:

The New York Jets had a contingency of players get together for a hangout with NHL great Wayne Gretzky for some workouts prior to training camp.

Gretzky wasn’t exactly running the practice sessions, the two groups just ended up near the same area, Gozzer Ranch, in Idaho. Two Jets players who got to meet “The Great One” included quarterback Zach Wilson and tight end CJ Uzomah.

At the start of New York’s training camp this week, Wilson reflected on meeting the hockey legend.

“Gretzky has a house there,” Wilson said via video conference. “It was a good time.”

Again, it wasn’t all fun and games even though Wilson referenced Gretzky’s place having a pool. Uzomah mentioned via the Net York Post how it was a good experienced for him to get to know his new teammates better and build some chemistry with his QB.

Specifically on Wilson, Uzomah is impressed early.

“I forget what it’s like to be a young football player, let alone a young quarterback going into his second year in New York. I know he’s talented as anything, he’s smart as anything … he’s got a — I’m trying so hard not to gush — he’s got a freaking cannon as an arm,” Uzomah said. “He’s a good dude, he wants this team to go, and he knows it goes as he goes. He’s really working his butt off to make sure we are where we need to be.

For more from Wilson on the occasion and how the players got linked up with Gretzky, check out the SNY clip below:

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LOOK: New York Jets players start arriving for training camp

The #Jets are back in town:

The New York Jets are back to business.

On Tuesday, the team began arriving back at the team’s facilities ahead of Wednesday’s first 2022 training camp practice.

Check out some clips and photos of players arriving to Florham Park shared by the team below: