Tag: Jets defensive line

John Franklin-Myers praises fellow defensive lineman on the roster bubble

John Franklin-Myers had high praise for fellow defensive lineman Tanzel Smart. Smart is fighting for a roster spot this summer.

Tanzel Smart hasn’t made much of an on-field impact with the Jets, but he is influencing at least one teammate behind the scenes. 

“He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen in my life,” John Franklin-Myers recently said on the “Take Flight Spittin’ Fire Podcast.” “He makes me work harder than I’ve ever worked since I’ve been here.”

Given the surplus of talent on the Jets’ defensive line, it is somewhat surprising to hear Franklin-Myers namedrop Smart, a player who saw just 26 total snaps last season. He recorded three total tackles in as many games.

Smart has been a journeyman since entering the league out of Tulane in 2017. He spent three seasons with the Rams before bouncing around to the Bills, Browns and Jets. He’s played in 509 total defesive snaps in his career, and 306 of those came in his rookie year.

While Smart is motivating Franklin-Myers, the former is no threat to the latter’s job. Franklin-Myers is a potential starter following a career year that included 19 total tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, 13 quarterback hits, two pass breakups, and two fumble recoveries in 15 games.

Smart, meanwhile, will need to go above and beyond this summer if he hopes to crack New York’s deep defensive line rotation.

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Jets to sign DT Sheldon Rankins to 2-year deal

The Jets have signed defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins to a two-year deal, according to the NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

The Jets have solidified their defensive front.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, New York and former Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins have agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $17 million. The Cincinnati Bengals also made a strong push for Rankins, according to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Rankins was picked 12th overall out of Louisville by the Saints in the 2016 NFL draft. He missed seven games his rookie year after he broke his fibula in training camp. Rankins then didn’t miss a game in 2017 and almost made it through all of the 2018 season healthy. He started every game that season on his way to a career year, but Rankins tore his Achilles in the divisional round of the playoffs and had to undergo season-ending surgery.

Rankins dealt with an injury to his other Achilles that limited him to just 10 games in 2019. He had to undergo surgery again to prevent further issues to that Achilles. Rankins returned from injury in 2020 and played in 12 games with one start.

Before the injuries, Rankins was developing into a solid player. He recorded career-highs in sacks (8) and tackles (40) in 2018. Rankins has 116 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks, 44 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles, three pass defenses and one interception in his career.

Rankins will join a defensive front four of Quinnen Williams, Carl Lawson, and Folorunso Fatukasi in Robert Saleh’s defense.

Jamison Crowder, Tarell Basham among Jets’ Studs & Duds in Week 16 win over Browns

Here are the Jets’ Studs and Duds in their Week 16 victory over the Cleveland Browns.

The Jets finally reclaimed their turf after losing their first seven home games of the season.

New York won its first game at MetLife Stadium this season with a 23-16 victory over the Cleveland Browns. It certainly wasn’t a pretty game, but Sam Darnold played well enough to give his team a chance to get the win. The Jets defense, meanwhile, made it difficult on the Browns offense all game, forcing two turnovers and stifling their running attack.

The win clinched the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft for the Jets. That means no Trevor Lawrence and a whole lot of questions about the quarterback position entering the offseason.

For now, though, let’s take a look at the Jets’ Studs and Duds from their Week 16 win.

Quinnen Williams is Jets Wire’s Player of the Game vs. Dolphins

Quinnen Williams had a career day in the Jets’ 20-3 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday.

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Quinnen Williams had a career day in the Jets’ 20-3 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday.

Williams did a little bit of everything for the Jets defense, recording seven tackles, 1.5 sacs, one forced fumble, two pass defenses and three quarterback hits. For leading the Jets’ defense against Ryan Fitzpatrick and company, he is Jets Wire’s Player of the Game for Week 12.

Williams flustered Fitzpatrick all game long and the Dolphins offensive line had no answer for him. Williams was constantly in the backfield, a theme this season as the second-year player out of Alabama continues to live up to expectations.

Williams has recorded at least half a sack in three of his last four games, moving his total to five on the year. He was never a big sacks guy at Alabama, as the most he recorded in one season was eight. However, Williams is starting to develop into a legit pass rusher.

The Jets were wise to hold onto Williams at the trade deadline. There were rumors that he could possibly get dealt, but Joe Douglas quickly shut those rumors down by making him unavailable.

Now it looks like Williams will be a big part of the Jets’ future, as most of the roster will be turned over after this season. As the Jets’ record continues to head in the wrong direction, at least they can count on Williams each week to deliver a big performance.

2020 NFL Draft: Jets get Jerry Jeudy & Marlon Davidson in Todd McShay’s latest mock

Todd McShay has the Jets picking wide receiver Jerry Jeudy and Auburn defensive end Marlon Davidson in the first two rounds of the draft.

As we hit the two-week mark since free agency opened, ESPN analyst Todd McShay released his latest two-round mock draft.

Despite two of the four top offensive tackles being available in Louisville’s Mekhi Becton and Georgia’s Andrew Thomas, McShay has the Jets selecting a wide receiver with the 11th pick in the draft. That would be none other than Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy.

Here is McShay’s explanation for the pick:

[Offensive tackle Mekhi] Becton also would make sense here, as that offensive line still needs work, but Jeudy is the class’ best route runner and top wideout available. How can the Jets, who would be entering the season with Jamison Crowder and Breshad Perriman as their top two wide receivers, pass on this type of playmaker? The Jets were one of four NFL teams to average fewer than 200 passing yards and score fewer than 20 passing touchdowns last season, and that was with Robby Anderson still in green.

While McShay’s rationale does make sense, it’s hard to believe Joe Douglas would go wide receiver given that two of the top four offensive tackles are available in this mock. Douglas has made the offensive line his priority so far in free agency and the feeling is that he’s going to continue to address it in the draft.

If none of the top tackles are there at No. 11, then picking Jeudy would be wise. The Jets are hungry for dynamic playmakers and Jeudy has all the tools to be a star wide receiver in the NFL one day.

As for the second round, McShay has the Jets taking Auburn defensive end Marlon Davidson at No. 48.

Here’s McShay’s reasoning on this pick:

It’s not easy to skip out on the offensive tackle position — or cornerback — but there just isn’t a player worth reaching down the board for at No. 48. So instead, the Jets tack on an edge rusher in Davidson, who has power, explosiveness and versatility.

The Jets desperately need some help on the edge, but picking a defensive lineman makes little sense for them right now. They have a crowded defensive line headed by Quinnen Williams, Steve McLendon and Henry Anderson.

Even without an edge presence, the Jets were still tied for 16th in the league in sacks last season with 39. It’s not like the Jets aren’t getting to the quarterback at all. They just need guys like Williams and Anderson to step up and be more productive.

An offensive tackle has to be a priority in this year’s draft, whether it’s in the first round or second round. The Jets cannot afford to have Sam Darnold get pummeled into the ground because George Fant and Chuma Edoga can’t hold up in pass protection.

Folorunso Fatukasi took a major step in second year with Jets

Jets defensive lineman Folorunso Fatukasi improved drastically in his second season with New York.

Folorunso Fatukasi made a name for himself in his second season with the Jets.

After only playing three defensive snaps as a rookie in 2018, Fatukasi found a role in the Jets defensive line rotation as a sophomore. As Fatukasi was given more opportunities to play this past season, he couldn’t help but credit his teammates for helping him along the way.

“Just the opportunity I’ve been given, being able to do it here, at this moment, to be with these guys, I think it was just very special,” Fatukasi told the team’s website. “I enjoyed coming to work every day, being with the guys working, battling with them. And I believe that’s kind of fitting, to go through all that stuff with your brothers around you and be able to help produce. It feels good.”

Fatukasi was a sixth-round pick out of UConn in 2018. In 14 games this past season, Fatukasi produced 27 combined tackles, one sack and a pass defense. The numbers don’t jump off the page, but Fatukasi played an instrumental part in New York’s elite run defense.

Jets defensive line coach Andre Carter didn’t have a lot of film of Fatukasi from his rookie season. However, he noticed a major difference in his playing style in year two.

“Just attacking,” Carter said. “For Foley, it was a process, just like everybody else. But he started to see how good of a player he can be. We just continue to tell him to keep chopping wood as well as everybody else, keep playing good football.”

Now heading into his third season with Gang Green, Fatukasi will be looking for even more playing time. If he can improve on his numbers from this past season, the Jets may have found a diamond in the rough in the former sixth-round pick.

Jets’ 4 least concerning positions entering the offseason

Here are the Jets’ least areas of concern entering the offseason.

While the Jets have their work cut out for them entering the offseason, there are a few positions they have locked down for next season.

The Jets are far from a finished product, but there is some hope with some parts of the roster. Safety, defensive line, inside linebackers and running back are areas where the Jets are perfectly fine at.

Here are the Jets’ least concerning positions entering this offseason.

Safety

AP Photo/Steven Senne

The Jets are locked into both their starting safeties for the next couple of years, so they don’t need to address that position.

Both Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye are entering their fourth year in the league and are two years away from being free agents. Adams and Maye are one of the best safety duos in the NFL, with Adams being arguably the top safety in the league.

New York should do whatever it takes to sign Adams to an extension as soon as possible. As for Maye, he had a strong year last season, but the Jets can wait a little bit before extending him.

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Jets nominate Steve McLendon for Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

New York has decided to nominate defensive lineman Steve McLendon as their team representative.

The Jets found a real diamond in the rough when they lured Steve McLendon from the Steelers. Ever since, McLendon has been a defensive anchor for New York but, more importantly, a leader.

This year, his efforts as a leader are being noticed.

Every season the National Football League recognizes one player for their conduct on the field. This individual is selected as the recipient of the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. New York has decided to nominate McLendon as their team representative.

The honor is named after the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Art Rooney. Rooney is also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

To become a finalist, a panel of former players from the NFL Legends Community narrows the field. Each team nominates one player, thus leaving 32 athletes for the panel to consider. They narrow the nominees to eight and leave the rest to current NFL players.

The award is decided by a vote among players. Alongside the honor, the NFL Foundation grants a $25,000 donation to a charity of the player’s choosing.

Past winners, from most recent, include Drew Brees, Luke Kuechly, Frank Gore, Charles Woodson and Larry Fitzgerald.