Neville Hewitt highlights his unique skillset as free agency nears

Neville Hewitt thinks he does more than any other Mike linebacker in the NFL and that whoever signs him will get their money worth.

Neville Hewitt doesn’t view himself as a prototypical middle linebacker.

Hewitt has played the Mike linebacker over the last two seasons with the Jets with C.J. Mosley missing the majority of 2019 with a groin injury and then opting out in 2020. Now Hewitt will become an unrestricted free agent once the new league year begins — and he’s making his case for a payday.

“When you compare me to other linebackers make sure you consider the fact that I ran down on every single punt before relaying the play call to the defense,” Hewitt recently tweeted. “There is not another Mike doing it. Whoever invest in me and believe in me going to get their money worth. Hewitt gon do it.”

The 27-year-old has a point.

Hewitt played 99 percent of New York’s defensive snaps (1,130 snaps) and 43 percent of the special teams snaps (191) in 2020. That followed a 2019 campaign in which he played 69 percent of the defensive snaps (766) and 27 percent of the special teams snaps (121). Hewitt missed four games in 2019 but played all 16 this past season.

When you compare Hewitt to a few of the Pro Bowl middle linebackers in 2020, none of them played on special teams as much as he did. 49ers MLB Fred Warner played 19 total special teams snaps, while Colts MLB Darius Leonard only played 50 special teams snaps. Seahawks MLB Bobby Wagner played 89 special teams snaps. All three players were First-team All-Pro.

Obviously, those players make their money on defense, but it’s not like Hewitt’s performance slacked in that facet of the game. He was still one of the NFL’s leading tacklers this past year, registering 134 total. That was good for ninth in the league. Hewitt also had four pass defenses, six tackles for a loss, two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

He was no defensive slouch in 2019, either, recording 75 tackles, six TFLs, five passes defended and three sacks in 12 games.

Hewitt should draw interest from teams once free agency opens in March. The Jets will have to determine in the coming weeks if he fits in Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich’s 4-3 defense and what type of money he’s worth.

Whoever signs Hewitt, they’ll be getting plenty of bang for their buck.

Jets injury report: Le’Veon Bell, Blake Cashman likely out ‘a couple of weeks’

Le’Veon Bell and Blake Cashman are probably out for the next couple of weeks due to injuries.

The Jets didn’t get any encouraging news from their training staff following injuries to Le’Veon Bell and Blake Cashman in Sunday’s game against the Bills.

Adam Gase said MOnday that Bell (hamstring) and Cashman (groin) will likely be out for “a couple of weeks.” Gase didn’t want to put a definitive timetable on either player’s return.

Pertaining to Bell, Gase did say he’s in fantastic shape so he wouldn’t be surprised if he came back sooner rather than later.

Bell injured his hamstring late in the first half after he went out for a pass and slipped. He finished the first half and even came back out for the second half until the coaching staff decided to pull him from the game. Gase said afterward that he was mad at himself for putting Bell back in the game.

Bell’s injury leaves the Jets with two healthy running backs at the moment in Frank Gore and Josh Adams. La’Mical Perine is probably still not ready to return from his ankle injury. So the Jets may have to go out and sign a running back in free agency.

As for Cashman, he went down early in the first quarter with a groin injury and didn’t return. His injury left the Jets with Neville Hewitt and Harvey Langi at inside linebacker. Avery Williamson’s (hamstring) status for Week 2 is unknown, so the Jets could be looking for some help at inside linebacker, too.

They do have Alec Ogletree on the practice squad, who has played under Gregg Williams before and has starting experience.

Report: Jets LB Avery Williamson agrees to restructured contract

Avery Williamson agreed to a restructured contract worth $3.5 million.

The Jets saved some money on Avery Williamson’s contract, and they did it without having to cut the linebacker.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Williamson agreed to a restructured deal worth $3.5 million with $1 million guaranteed. The contract can reach $5 million with incentives. Originally, Williamson’s 2020 base salary was worth $6.5 million.

The move saves the Jets $3.75 million in cap space. They had $31.5 million in cap space prior to the restructure.

Williamson just recently returned to practice and is primarily working with the second-team defense alongside James Burgess. He’ll see a few snaps here and there with the first-team defense, but the Jets seem to like the pairing of him and Burgess.

The 28-year-old linebacker is coming off a torn ACL that he suffered last preseason. Entering training camp, the expectation was that Williamson was going to be a cap casualty given the Jets’ depth at inside linebacker. However, when C.J. Mosley opted out due to COVID-19 concerns, it gave the Jets more of an incentive to keep Williamson.

Before the injury, Williamson was coming off the best season of his career in 2018. He recorded 116 total tackles, six pass breakups, three sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one interception in 16 games.

It remains to be seen what Williamson’s role will be with the Jets in 2020, but if he can produce even a fraction of those numbers, New York will gladly take that at a reduced cost.

Updated look at Jets’ middle linebacker depth chart after C.J. Mosley opts out

Here’s what the Jets’ linebacker depth chart will look like after the opt-out of C.J. Mosley.

The Jets took a hit at middle linebacker on Saturday after C.J. Mosley opted out of the 2020 NFL season.

Mosley is opting out for family health concerns, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. So with no Mosley out for another season after he missed all but two games in 2019, the Jets’ depth at inside linebacker will be tested.

Fortunately for New York, it has depth up the middle. Mosley’s absence likely means Avery Williamson can reclaim a starting spot after suffering a torn ACL last preseason. There was a chance the Jets were going to move on from Williamson this summer — doing so would have saved them $6.5 million — but Mosley’s opt-out should change that.

Patrick Onwuasor is the other most likely option to start. Mosley’s former running mate in Baltimore, he came over from the Ravens this offseason after a disappointing 2019 campaign. However, Onwuasor played well in 2018 when he recorded 5.5 sacks.

As for the rest of the depth chart, the Jets have a solid mix of experience and youth. Neville Hewitt played well in place of Williamson last season. He had 73 total tackles, three sacks, five pass defenses and two interceptions in 12 starts. The Jets also have James Burgess and Blake Cashman, who both started at times in 2019 in place of injured teammates. Burgess had 78 total tackles, one safety, five pass defenses and one interception in just 10 games while Cashman had 38 total tackles and one pass defense in seven games before tearing his labrum and fracturing his shoulder.

There is also B.J. Bello is projected as the third-string middle linebacker. An emergency option, he recorded five tackles in seven games last season.

Despite Mosley’s absence in 2020, this unit still has the potential to be impactful. Gregg Williams’ system allows players to play to their strengths rather than requiring a certain skill set, which also allows for flexibility. That siad, no one here will replicate what Mosley is capable of, something the Jets got a taste of in Mosley’s brief appearances in 2019.

Jets re-signing LB Neville Hewitt to 1-year deal

The Jets have re-signed inside linebacker Neville Hewitt to a one-year deal worth $2 million.

After finally getting the chance to be a full-time starter, Neville Hewitt has earned his way back onto the Jets.

According to multiple reports, the Jets and Hewitt have agreed to terms on a new contract. It’s a one-year deal worth $2 million, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini.

Hewitt stepped in for the injured Avery Williamson last season at inside linebacker. Then, after C.J. Mosley went down with a groin injury, Hewitt became the mic of the defense and played well.

In 12 games, Hewitt had 44 total tackles, three sacks, five pass defenses and two interceptions.

It took a few years for Hewitt to come into his own. Originally undrafted out of Marshall, Hewitt joined the Dolphins in 2015. He was primarily a backup in Miami, but did make seven starts in three years.

After not being re-signed by the Dolphins in 2018, Hewitt signed with the Jets. Hewitt didn’t see much playing time in the beginning of the 2018 season, but finished strong with 26 total tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Hewitt is a good depth piece for the Jets. New York still hasn’t made a decision on Williamson’s future, so Hewitt could be a backup once again. However, if the Jets decide to move on from Williamson, Hewitt has enough starting experience that it wouldn’t be a big drop off.

Jets free agent profile: What to do with LB Albert McClellan?

Here’s how the Jets should approach Albert’s McClellan’s free agent situation.

Before Joe Douglas can focus on who he plans to target in free agency come March, he’ll have a handful of in-house decisions to make.

The Jets have 32 players set to hit the open market this offseason. Some don’t figure to factor into New York’s plans for 2020, while it’s safe to assume the Jets would like to keep others around for a while. Either way, Douglas has a lot of work to do in his first offseason on the job.

Albert McClellan was signed by the Jets in the middle of August before being released during cuts. The Jets did re-sign him the next day, though. McClellan’s season was cut short after he suffered a concussion and was placed on injured reserve. So the Jets didn’t get to see a whole lot of tape on him. Let’s evaluate McClellan’s free agent situation in another edition of Jets Wire’s free agent profile.

Pros of keeping him

The Jets signed McClellan to be a depth piece after the team lost Avery Williamson for the season to a torn ACL. He was immediately thrown into the fire at the beginning of the regular season after the Jets lost C.J. Mosley as well. McClellan didn’t make much of an impact though, only recording five total tackles in five games.

The 33-year-old is an NFL veteran with some starting experience, so if the Jets want to have depth in case any of their inside linebackers go down again, then bringing back McClellan wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Cons of keeping him

At this point in his career, McClellan is not an every-down starter. He hasn’t been for a few years. If the Jets are in a situation where they need him to start, can he handle it? The answer to that question is unknown, but at 33 years old the odds don’t lean in his favor.

Since the Jets do need to get younger, it wouldn’t make much sense to bring McClellan back for another season.

The verdict

Given McClellan’s age and the fact that he’s coming off a concussion, he isn’t likely to be retained by Gang Green. The Jets showed last season that they had enough linebacker depth without McClellan in the fold.

Douglas doesn’t need to do that much in the offseason with inside linebackers. They’ll get Mosley and Blake Cashman back from injuries. They have a decision to make on Avery Williamson and they’ll likely want Neville Hewitt and James Burgess back, too.

All in all, McClellan will be likely one and done with the Jets.

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

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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