Tag: Jets training camp

Jets place DB Zane Lewis on injured reserve, re-sign backup safety

The Jets placed Zane Lewis on injured reserve and brought back the recently waived Bennett Jackson in a pair of Friday roster moves.

The Jets made a pair of moves in the secondary on Friday, placing safety Zane Lewis on injured reserve and re-signing Bennett Jackson after waiving him on Aug. 17.

Lewis, who was transitioning from cornerback to safety in training camp, tore his patellar tendon and sprained his MCL during Thursday’s joint practice with the Packers. Lewis signed a reserve/future deal with the Jets in January after spending most of 2020 on New York’s practice squad.

Jackson has spent the last two seasons bouncing back and forth between the Jets’ active roster and practice squad. New York originally claimed the New Jersey native off waivers in September 2019, only to waive him two weeks later and re-sign him to the practice squad. Jackson spent two months with the Ravens before returning to the Jets in December 2019.

New York re-signed Jackson in free agency last March, but he failed to make the 53-man roster out of training camp and was once again re-signed to the practice squad. Jackson was promoted to the active roster in November before landing on injured reserve a month later. Jackson re-signed with the Jets again in April before receiving his most recent pink slip from the team.

In his two years with the Jets, Jackson has recorded just two tackles.

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The 5 hardest cuts from Jets Wire’s preseason Week 1 roster prediction

After releasing a 53-man roster prediction following Week 1 of the preseason, we at Jets Wire explained our toughest cuts.

Training camp and the preseason is the time for players to establish themselves as contributors and lock down roster spots.

It is also the place where NFL dreams sometimes go to die.

The Jets can only carry 53 players once the beginning of the regular season arrives — a far cry from the 90 they currently have in the building with training camp now two weeks in. New York would likely prefer to keep more than 53 players around considering the talent it has at One Jets Drive, but that is not how things work in professional football.

Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh are going to have some excruciating decisions to make at the end of August. Which players did just enough to make the 53-man squad? Which players fell just short and will now have to seek a new opportunity elsewhere? Those questions will be answered after countless hours of watching film and deliberating.

We at Jets Wire took a crack at projecting the 53-man roster after Saturday’s preseason opener against the Giants. All of the cuts predicted in that piece can be seen directly below, followed by explanations for the toughest severances.

  • QB: Josh Johnson, James Morgan
  • RB: Josh Adams, Austin Walter
  • WR: Manasseh Bailey, Braxton Berrios, Lawrence Cager, Josh Malone, D.J. Montgomery, Jeff Smith
  • TE: Daniel Brown, Kenny Yeboah
  • OL: Tristen Hoge, Corey Levin, Jimmy Murray, David Moore
  • DL: Ronald Blair, Michael Dwumfour, Kyle Phillips, Hamilcar Rashed Jr., Tanzel Smart
  • LB: Noah Dawkins, Camilo Eifler, Del’Shawn Phillips, Edmond Robinson, Brendon White
  • CB: Corey Ballentine, Elijah Campbell, Lamar Jackson, Zane Lewis
  • S: Bennett Jackson, J.T. Hassell
  • K: Chris Naggar (released Monday)

6 takeaways from Jets’ Green and White scrimmage

The Jets hosted their annual Green and White scrimmage at MetLife Stadium on Saturday night. Here are six takeaways from the action.

The Jets returned to MetLife Stadium for the first time since last December on Saturday night, hosting their annual Green and White scrimmage.

Last year’s Green and White scrimmage, which featured New York’s backups soundly defeating its starters, took place at One Jets Drive amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Saturday night’s scrimmage marked Robert Saleh’s first taste of the action and the first time that Jets fans flocked to East Rutherford to watch their team play since December 2019.

“It was awesome, just to be able to go through this thing and go through the stadium and just go through as game-like of an experience as we can create for the players so next Saturday [New York’s preseason opener] is normal,” Saleh said. “It was cool.”

Here are six takeaways from the scrimmage and Gang Green’s return to MetLife.

Zach Wilson reflects on loss of Greg Knapp

Jets QB Zach Wilson developed a bond with Greg Knapp prior to the coach’s tragic death.

The Jets suffered an unspeakable tragedy days before training camp when passing game specialist Greg Knapp died following a bike accident.

Knapp died five days after he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle in Northern California. He was 58. Knapp is survived by his wife, Charlotte, and three daughters.

Robert Saleh hired Knapp, a longtime quarterback mentor, this offseason to join the Jets and aid Zach Wilson’s development. Knapp and Wilson developed a relationship during the spring, making his death a tough pill for New York’s rookie to swallow.

“At first it was shock. Complete shock,” Wilson said Friday. “Just because I had just been talking to him the day before, right before the incident happened. It was almost like I didn’t believe it. I felt like I could have just called him right then on the phone and he would have answered. It really hit later on when I was like, ‘Jeez, this is rough.’ I was just praying for him and his family and everyone else involved that we could kind of get through this together.”

Knapp was an NFL coach for 24 years prior to joining the Jets, working most recently as the Falcons quarterbacks coach from 2018-2020. Knapp also worked with the quarterbacks for the Broncos, Raiders, Texans, Seahawks and 49ers.

“It’s tough, man,” Wilson said. “Life is a precious thing.”

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Jets QB Zach Wilson talks introduction to NFL’s business side

Zach Wilson debuted at camp after contract negotiations delayed the start of his summer. The Jets QB spoke about football’s business side.

When the Jets kicked off training camp practices on Wednesday, Zach Wilson was nowhere to be found. Instead of suiting up at One Jets Drive, he was in Los Angeles, getting a glimpse at the business side of football.

Wilson missed New York’s first two training camp practices as his representation and Joe Douglas worked out the kinks of his rookie contract. After prolonged negotiations, Wilson received the upfront, non-deferred signing bonus his reps desired, while the Jets included the same offset language that was written into Sam Darnold’s rookie deal in 2018.

New York’s prized rookie quarterback made his training camp debut on Friday in forgettable fashion, struggling to consistently complete passes after opening the day with an impressive deep ball to Elijah Moore. His first camp performance aside, Wilson was just happy to be back between the white lines after receiving his introduction to an aspect of football that never previously concerned him.

“Now money’s involved,” Wilson said. “My whole life I just wanted to play ball because I love the game. I wanted to get the business done so I could do what I love.”

Wilson went on to say that his girlfriend said she forgot that the quarterback will make money now that he’s a pro. “That’s cause the best part of it is the game,” Wilson told her.

The Jets would have liked to have Wilson on the field to begin training camp, but two missed practices are not going to do much to harm the BYU product’s development. Darnold missed three in 2018 and still won the starting job.

Wilson looked good throughout the spring and while his play on Friday left a lot to be desired, that can be chalked up to typical rookie struggles more than the contract negotiations that kept him sidelined.

With those negotiations now ancient history, Wilson is not planning on giving too much attention to his financials as he prepares for the beginning of his rookie season against the Panthers in Week 1. The 21-year-old will be $22.9 million richer once he receives his signing bonus within the next two weeks, but that money won’t bring him any closer to his ultimate goal with the Jets.

“You can’t buy a Super Bowl,” Wilson responded when asked what he plans to purchase with his new wealth, “so we’ll work for one of those.”

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Jets’ new wide-zone blocking scheme has Connor McGovern ‘fired up’

Connor McGovern is a veteran of the wide-zone blocking scheme and thinks the Jets’ offensive line can thrive in the system.

Connor McGovern’s first season with the Jets did not go as planned, but New York’s veteran center is excited to line up in an offensive scheme that might help his unit boost its production in 2021.

Mike LaFleur and John Benton’s arrival in the Big Apple marked a change in blocking philosophy. The Jets will run an outside zone blocking scheme in 2021, placing an emphasis on the offensive line’s ability to block zones and spaces on the field instead of a specific defender.

New York’s offensive line was not built to run a wide-zone scheme under Adam Gase, as his system was predicated on man-to-man blocking assignments. The Jets still have some holdovers who were brought in for that specific offense, but McGovern does not foresee that being an issue in 2021.

He feels Gang Green’s current crop of linemen — himself included — have the versatility necessary to thrive under the new circumstances.

“This offensive line is definitely built for the outside zone run game,” McGovern said Thursday. “We have a bunch of athletic dudes out there. That’s the family tree that this offense comes from. For me especially, that’s what I like. That’s kind of been my bread and butter and what fits my strengths is wide zone, so I’m definitely fired up about it.”

McGovern’s assessment of the Jets’ offensive line and the group’s overall athleticism is an accurate one. Mekhi Becton is relatively light on his feet for someone with a mammoth frame, while Alijah Vera-Tucker brings the athleticism of a tackle to his left guard position. Alex Lewis and Greg Van Roten have both had success as pulling guards in the past and can translate that into success blocking in a zone system. George Fant and Morgan Moses both have skill sets to operate efficiently in a wide zone.

Then there’s McGovern, who played in a wide-zone blocking scheme with the Broncos.

The Jets have placed an emphasis on establishing the run in the early days of training camp. Pounding away on the ground is the key to a successful west coast offense and it is pertinent that New York’s offensive line picks up its new zone blocking assignments before the beginning of the regular season.

With a veteran of the scheme in McGovern leading the charge, there is a good chance the Jets quickly take to their new style of blocking and consistently open up enough holes for the likes of Michael Carter and Ty Johnson.

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Zach Wilson, Elijah Moore remain unsigned with training camp days away

Two of the Jets’ most promising 2021 NFL draft picks have yet to sign their rookie contracts with training camp less than a week away.

Two of the Jets’ prized offensive rookies might not be ready to take the field when New York reports for training camp in just six days.

Alijah Vera-Tucker signed his rookie contract on Tuesday, leaving Zach Wilson and Elijah Moore as Gang Green’s last two unsigned 2021 NFL draft picks. Both are all but certain to sign at some point this summer, but have yet to put pen to paper.

The Jets have been down this road before with high-profile draft picks remaining unsigned just days before training camp kicks off. Most recently, New York and Sam Darnold did not come to an agreement on offset language in Darnold’s rookie contract until a couple of days into training camp.

Wilson and Moore are both key cogs in Mike LaFleur’s offense, making it pertinent for the Jets that they get their contracts done as soon as possible. Wilson is New York’s prized potential franchise quarterback, while Moore strung together a standout spring and skyrocketed up the depth chart as a result. The more practice time those two have during training camp, the better their prospects of producing right off the bat once the regular season rolls around are.

The Jets will begin training camp practices on July 28.

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Why Robert Saleh is excited to endure adversity with Jets

Jets head coach Robert Saleh is eager to see how his team responds to the inevitable adversity that comes along with training camp.

When the going gets tough, Robert Saleh gets going — and he would like to see his team follow suit.

It is no secret by now that New York’s rookie head coach is all in, all the time. He set the tone during his introductory press conference with his “all gas, no brake” mantra and that led to a spring that Saleh deemed an overwhelming success.

But Saleh has been around the NFL long enough to know everything is not always roses. Failure at One Jets Drive at some point this upcoming year — whether it be in training camp, the preseason, or the regular season — is inevitable. It is part of any team’s rebuilding process and the Jets are still very much in the midst of construction.

Despite all the success that Saleh has enjoyed early in his tenure with New York, it is the eventual failure and adversity that he is looking forward to the most in year one.

“Everything’s been awesome,” Saleh said in an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “Call it the greatest honeymoon in the world, if you want. It’s been great. But I’m genuinely excited for adversity. Because a lot of different things are going to pop up. There are coaches that are going to find out about themselves. There’s the scouts and the GM, there’s myself, the players, the training staff. Everybody’s going to find out a little more about themselves when adversity hits.

“I think that’s when teams have their greatest amount of growth — it’s through adversity. And so with training camp, that’s what I’m most excited for. I wanna see how people respond.”

Some, if not most, NFL coaches would prefer to avoid adversity at all costs. Saleh is on the other end of the spectrum as a coach that embraces it. Considering the team he is inheriting, it is easy to understand why.

Adversity builds character. A big reason why the 49ers excelled under Kyle Shanahan was because of the failures they had to overcome to get to that point. Saleh had a front-row seat as the team’s defensive coordinator. Shanahan lost the first nine games of his tenure with San Francisco. Shanahan, Saleh and the rest of the 49ers’ coaching staff maintained hope for the future, though. Eventually, it all paid off and culminated in a trip to the Super Bowl.

That is not to say the Jets are going to be playing for a Lombardi Trophy early in Saleh’s tenure as the team’s head coach. But it is proof that adversity can lead to future triumph. Shanahan did not inherit a juggernaut in San Francisco and Saleh is not inheriting one in New York. With that will come struggles, struggles that the Jets can use as building blocks for success.

It would be nice if Saleh’s first training camp with the Jets goes swimmingly with absolutely no hiccups, but that is unlikely given the nature of football. Once those hiccups occur, Saleh will likely be watching on with a smile, waiting to see how his team responds to the challenges that face them.

The manner in which New York answers will go a long way in determining its ability to turn into a winner in 2021.

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New York Jets’ projected depth chart following minicamp

The Jets’ 53-man depth chart is beginning to take shape with mandatory minicamp and OTAs in the books.

There is still a long way to go before the Jets hit the road to take on the Panthers to begin the 2021 season, but the 53-man roster and depth chart New York takes to Carolina is beginning to take shape.

Robert Saleh’s first spring as Jets head coach provided plenty of insight into how his team might look come September. Between minicamp and OTAs, numerous players made their case to break camp with the team and, in some cases, established themselves as legitimate contenders to win a starting job in training camp and the preseason.

With mandatory minicamp in the books and the beginning of training camp just over a month away, here are Jets Wire’s latest 53-man roster depth chart predictions.

Zach Wilson wants to get Jets together for pre-training camp workouts

Zach Wilson plans on getting together with New York’s skill position players for private workouts in an effort to develop better chemistry.

Zach Wilson wants to build as much chemistry as possible with his weapons before the Jets open the season against the Carolina Panthers.

Wilson said he would like to hold informal workouts with his wide receivers, tight ends and running backs prior to training camp. Wilson has not picked a date yet, but the Jets start training camp on July 27.

“We’ll find some time to get together,” Wilson said Wednesday, the final day of minicamp.

The Jets’ rookie quarterback is making an extra effort to develop better chemistry with New York’s skill position players. With the Jets bringing in a rookie quarterback, along with a brand new offensive system, it will take some time for the offense to get where it needs to be.

There will be a learning curve for Wilson and his peers when it comes to Mike LaFleur’s offense. However, the hope is for those players to narrow that gap before the regular season begins. Having informal workouts should help in doing so.

The NFL did not allow players to get together for private workouts outside the team facilities last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tennessee Titans were one of the teams that violated that rule, and it lead to a COVID-19 outbreak within the organization.

This year, however, new NFL protocols will allow players to gather outside team facilities, permitted they are vaccinated. Unvaccinated players can not get together for meetings, practice, or training activities outside the team facilities.

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