Tag: Jordan Jenkins

Texans DE Jordan Jenkins continues to adjust to new Tampa 2 scheme

Houston Texans defensive end Jordan Jenkins talks about his adjustments to the Tampa 2 scheme after playing as an outside linebacker.

The Houston Texans aren’t the only ones getting used to a Tampa 2 scheme after spending years in a 3-4.

The same can be said of Jordan Jenkins, who was an outside linebacker for the New York Jets after they drafted him in Round 3 from Georgia in 2016. The Texans signed Jenkins in the offseason to be an edge defender from a three-point stance as opposed to standing up pre-snap.

For Jenkins, playing closer to the ground before the snap means he has to be dialed in on his reads.

“You really have to be keyed in onto your read, because it happens a little bit faster and your field of vision is a little narrow,” Jenkins said. “It’s different, but it has its similarities. Sometimes you might bump down and play a little inside, or whatever. But you’ve got to be a little more physical and be a tad bit quicker, because you’re already on the line and things happen that quick.”

Jenkins has provided the Texans with seven combined tackles, a tackle for loss, and a quarterback hit through three games. Jenkins was even activated over third-year defensive end Charles Omenihu for Week 5’s matchup with the New England Patriots.

As a defensive end, Jenkins says the foundation for success comes from film study.

Said Jenkins: “You just really have to be dialed in on your film studies and know when which formations (appear), and see some of the tendencies, like if maybe in 12-personnel, you’ll have a tight end that’s flexed out as a No. 1 receiver. You’ve got to know there’s a chance he might come in, so if the quarterback might ever make the check, you’ve got to make a quick nod and see if someone is coming in. Otherwise, you might get cracked in concussion protocol or just be on someone else’s highlight film. You don’t want to be that.”

Jenkins is hopeful he can make a few highlights of his own as the Texans face the similarly 1-4 Indianapolis Colts Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time at Lucas Oil Stadium in Week 6.

Texans sat DE Charles Omenihu in Week 5 to get better glimpse of Jordan Jenkins

The Houston Texans made DE Charles Omenihu inactive against the New England Patriots to get a better look at DE Jordan Jenkins.

The Houston Texans made a puzzling move ahead of their Week 5 matchup with the New England Patriots.

The Texans made third-year defensive end Charles Omenihu inactive. The former 2019 fifth-round pick had compiled nine combined tackles and three quarterback hits through four games, two of which he had started.

According to defensive coordinator Lovie Smith, the Texans sat Omenihu in Week 5 so as to get a better glimpse of sixth-year defensive end Jordan Jenkins, who the club signed to a two-year, $6 million contract in free agency.

“We look for options,” said Smith. “Jordan Jenkins is the one defensive lineman that we hadn’t had an opportunity to see, and you can only dress so many defensive linemen. We start each process over each Monday after the game.”

Jenkins provided Houston with five combined tackles, a tackle for loss, and a quarterback hit in the 25-22 loss to the Patriots at NRG Stadium.

The Texans are working through their process to see which defensive linemen may go in Week 6 against the Indianapolis Colts.

“See how a player practices that week, see what the best combination that brings us that we can go with, and that’s what we’ve done this week,” Smith said. “Can’t wait to see the guys out at practice today.”

Houston Texans 2021 player profile: DE Jordan Jenkins

Jordan Jenkins had a down season in 2020. Can the former 2016 third-round pick have a bounce-back season with the Houston Texans?

Jordan Jenkins was no different than most people in 2020: he had a down year. During his final campaign as a member of the New York Jets, Jenkins’ on-field production took a significant declined from the previous two years, and a severe shoulder injury resulted in an early end to his season.

After failing to convince the Jets that he was worth keeping around beyond 2020, Jenkins signed with the Texans in March as the prototypical free agent Nick Caserio targeted on the open market.

With a lot to prove regarding his health and on-field play, here’s a look at how Jenkins can have a positive impact on the Texans’ defense while showcasing to Caserio that he is worth keeping around for the long haul.

Houston Texans OTAs: Defensive line grinds during first day of media availability

The Houston Texans defensive line put in work during the first day of media availability at organized team activities.

The Houston Texans held their first media availability of organized team activities on Thursday.

The media access allowed for the opportunity to observe the Texans’ defensive line, which is undergoing a transition as the AFC South club moves from a 3-4 defense to a Tampa-2 scheme with a 4-3 front.

The new scheme means the Texans will have to evaluate their edge defenders from the 3-4 scheme, which Houston ran from 2011-20, and determine who can be effective playing as a down lineman.

The Texans practiced outside at their training facilities in NRG Park. The players were in their new practice attire working under partly cloudy skies an 80 degrees.

Defensive coordinator Lovie Smith, one of the mavens at running the Tampa-2 scheme, was hard at work getting defenders to play with proper technique in the trenches.

It is no surprise that Charles Omenihu would continue to play as a down lineman.

However, Jacob Martin, who played outside linebacker the past two seasons, saw some work coming out of a three-point stance.

Jordan Jenkins, Houston’s free agent linebacker they signed from the New York Jets in free agency, took reps as a down lineman.

The coaching staff continued to have defensive players run through the drills, including some “tough sledding.”

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Texans executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby was at practice.

Easterby even got to visit with Culley during the linebacker drills.

Fifth-round linebacker Garret Wallow got to show his stuff going against a veteran in Hardy Nickerson.

Credit the Houston media for having sharp enough memories and great facial recognition to put names on numbers, as apparently that wasn’t an easy feat Thursday.

It is only May. The Texans are a work in progress, but so is everyone else as all 32 NFL teams work through way through their offseason programs.

‘Family man’ LB Jordan Jenkins pleased to play for the Texans

Newly signed Houston Texans linebacker Jordan Jenkins appreciates being able to play in an NFL city in front of his family.

Jordan Jenkins is a family man.

The Houston Texans linebacker signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the AFC South club, but one of the incentives of joining the team was having an opportunity to play in front of his family.

“I’m a big family man,” Jenkins told reporters on a Zoom call on April 8. “With all my family being in Houston, Louisiana and scattered parts of the West Coast, this is just honestly a dream come true.”

Jenkins was having a decent career with the New York Jets, who drafted him in Round 3 in 2016. The former Georgia product collected 189 combined tackles, 22.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, eight pass breakups, and seven forced fumbles through 72 games, 62 of which he started.

However, the travel from the sundry parts of the country, particularly the South region, was a little difficult. Not often did his family get to see him play at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

“That was the biggest issue, my family wanted to come see me play but I lived all the way up in New York and it was just a hard thing to happen,” said Jenkins. “Now, this might be one of first times I can get some of my girls – my grandma’s there, some of my grandparents, my great uncles can come out there.”

Jenkins’ family are actually “lifelong Texans fans,” and there was a sense of living the dream never coming true when the Texans didn’t take him in 2016. Instead, after the Jets took Jenkins at 85th overall, the Texans went ahead with receiver Braxton Miller from Ohio State at 87th overall.

Even though Jenkins is officially with the Texans, the notion of playing in front of his family for their favorite team seems surreal.

Said Jenkins: “It still hasn’t set in yet. It doesn’t really feel real. I’ve been talking to my parents about it and I don’t think it will actually feel real or like it’s actually happening until the first game when we’re running out of the tunnel and it’s like man, I never thought this would happen. It’s a dream come true.”

Jenkins is recovering from torn labrum surgery that ended his final season with the Jets after 12 games. The injury originally occurred in Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 27, 2020.

Jordan Jenkins unsure of Texans’ QB situation, but loves the new GM

New linebacker Jordan Jenkins does not know the situation at QB, but he really likes the Houston Texans’ new general manager, Nick Caserio.

It is anyone’s guess who will be the starting quarterback for the Houston Texans by Week 1 of 2021.

The club signed former 2015 Pro Bowler Tyrod Taylor, and also traded with the Cincinnati Bengals for Ryan Finley. The NFL draft at the end of April could also present another signal caller to battle for the job.

Then, there is always Deshaun Watson.

“I’m not really too sure on what’s going to happen on that side of things and I’m just waiting to find out like everyone else is,” newly signed free agent linebacker Jordan Jenkins told reporters via Zoom on April 8.

Jenkins, a former 2016 third-round pick of the New York Jets, knows there is uncertainty under center. However, there is a known quantity behind the general manager’s desk at NRG Stadium in Nick Caserio. The hiring of the former New England Patriots director of player personnel gives Jenkins confidence for the future, regardless of the turmoil at quarterback.

“What I’m trying to say is, I can’t wait to see what Nick is going to put together and get going to make a winning organization,” said Jenkins. “He’s been a part of a lot of winning organizations. I feel like he has everything — he has all the tools necessary to get it done.”

Caserio will have to wait until Round 3 if he seeks to fix the quarterback problem with a draft pick. The way that Caserio has chosen to fix the problems along the Texans’ roster is to sign sundry veterans to one-year and two-year contracts, including Jenkins, who signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the Texans, which became official on March 29.

Jenkins provided the Jets with 189 combined tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 46 quarterback hits, 22.5 sacks, eight pass breakups, seven forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries through 72 games, 62 of which he started for New York.

Texans LB Jordan Jenkins says rehab for torn labrum is ‘going pretty well’

New Houston Texans linebacker Jordan Jenkins says that his rehabilitation from a torn labrum is progressing nicely throughout the offseason.

Jordan Jenkins demonstrated what an old-school football player he is with the New York Jets in Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 27, 2020.

The former 2016 third-round pick tore his labrum in the 36-7 loss to the Colts. With his shoulder out of socket, Jenkins wouldn’t let the training staff take him back into the locker room.

“Just playing the game and took a bad hit and my whole shoulder popped down and I didn’t know what was going on, I just knew it’s probably messed up,” Jenkins said. “The training staff came by and I just told them to pop it back in, pop it back in I’m ready to go. They tried to take me inside, but I just said to pop it in and just let me keep going and finished out the game against the Colts.”

Jenkins didn’t record any statistics, and played just 35 snaps on defense and seven on special teams for the game. His final season with the Jets was cut short with four games to play as he was placed on injured reserve in mid-December and finally had surgery to repair the torn labrum.

“I just had to stay in the training room doing a lot of rehab,” said Jenkins. “That was probably one of the toughest seasons of my career, having to try to play through that and then deal with everything else that was going on in the last season.”

Jenkins played 12 games, starting in all of them, and collected 32 combined tackles with three tackles for loss and six quarterback hits. Jenkins also had 2.0 sacks, a pass breakup, and a forced fumble.

As Jenkins’ rehabilitation progresses in the offseason with a new team, the 6-3, 259-pound linebacker is pleased with how it is going.

“I feel like my rehab is going pretty well,” said Jenkins. “I’m not sure when I’ll be back but I just know when I do, I’m going to be the same physical, run-through-you type of guy that I’ve been over the last five years. That’s something I take pride in being and just being violent and physical and aggressive. That’s one thing that won’t ever change about me.”

The Texans could use his violent, physical play as they seek to re-establish defensive dominance in new defensive coordinator Lovie Smith’s Tampa-2 scheme with a 4-3 front.

Adam Gase calls Texans LB Jordan Jenkins ‘old school’

Houston Texans linebacker Jordan Jenkins is an “old school” type of player, according to former Jets coach Adam Gase.

The Houston Texans bolstered their linebacking corps in free agency with the addition of former New York Jets linebacker Jordan Jenkins.

Adam Gase, who was the coach of the Jets from 2019-20, was complimentary of the former 2016 third-round pick late in New York’s 2-14 campaign.

“That guy is old-school,’’ Gase said on Dec. 5, 2020, via Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post. “You’re going to have to saw off a limb for him not to be out there. It’s how he grew up. It’s how he was raised. If you know his background, it’s who he is. When you dig into his background, it all makes sense why he is who he is.”

According to Gase via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, Jenkins popped his shoulder back into place during a game early in the 2020 season, and only missed a play in the process.

Said Gase: “I’m not sure I’ve been around many players that are tougher — just flat-out tougher — than him. You saw the guy earlier in the season with his shoulder out of place and he pops it back in, comes off for like a play and runs back out there. The guy is an absolute beast as far as his mindset of not wanting to come out of games, constantly just being that guy to rely on.”

Jenkins provided the Jets with 189 combined tackles, 22.5 sacks, 25 tackles for loss, seven forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, and eight pass breakups in 72 games, 62 of which he started.

Texans general manager Nick Caserio got a good look at Jenkins twice a season as the Jets were division rivals with the New England Patriots, the franchise where Caserio had been employed in various capacities since 2001. The 6-3, 259-pound linebacker is part of Caserio’s “singles and doubles” strategy to get Houston around the bases competitively in 2021.

Pro Football Focus ranks Texans’ free agency haul as ‘below average’

Pro Football Focus considers the Houston Texans’ 2021 NFL free agency haul to be “below average” in their latest evaluation.

The Houston Texans went nuts in free agency with 22 acquisitions either by trade or signing.

The strategy was part of general manager Nick Caserio’s philosophy to hit “singles and doubles” in free agency rather than going for the big home run.

As a result, the Texans have bolstered their roster with players who are known quantities. Albeit their ceilings are pretty low, the Texans have gathered truly dependable players to fill spots along the roster.

For Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson and Brad Spielberger, the approach was “unusual” and “throwing a lot at the wall.” As a result, the Texans’ free agency moves didn’t necessarily impress them with the only big upgrade being edge defender Kevin Pierre-Louis, previously with Washington.

There are moves in this group that look excellent on paper, such as signing linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis, who has back-to-back seasons with 80.0-plus PFF coverage grades, which also coincides with his heaviest workload on defense. In a league starved of good coverage linebacker play, Pierre-Louis is exactly the kind of smart gamble teams should take.

“We’re going to have to make sound decisions I would say, not to oversimplify it, but if we can meat-and-potatoes, hit some singles and doubles, try to improve the depth of our team, try to create as much competition as possible, really that’s probably the most rational strategy,” Caserio told Sports Radio 610 [KILT-AM] on March 12. “It doesn’t mean if we see a player that we think is to a point that we think he can help us and have an impact, we’ll always look at that. But just to understand that if you do that, it’s going to come at the expense of three other players.”

For Houston, the next phase in roster construction is the 2021 NFL draft. With just one pick in the top-100 at No. 67 overall in Round 3, it is unlikely Pro Football Focus will be handing out anything other than “below average” then, too.

Texans liked OLB Jordan Jenkins at the 2016 Senior Bowl

The Houston Texans has their eye on former New York Jets linebacker Jordan Jenkins going all the way back to the 2016 Senior Bowl.

It took five seasons, but ultimately Jordan Jenkins ended up with the Houston Texans.

The Texans signed the former New York Jets outside linebacker. However, during his pre-draft process in 2016 while coming out of Georgia, the Texans showed interest in the 6-3, 259-pound edge defender.

According to an old article from Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle dated Jan. 28, 2016, the Texans met twice with Jenkins while at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.

“We had a pretty good talk,” Jenkins said. “I really liked it. It’s weird finally getting to talk to the scouts and general managers. It’s a little nerve-wracking.”

Jenkins’ parents moved to the Houston area after his father, Roland, retired from the military.

“It would be really great,” Roland said in 2016. “We have a lot of family out there and are moving back there. The Texans would be a great fit.”

What made the Texans a great fit in 2016 was they were still playing a 3-4 defense under then-defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel. In 2021, the Texans are transferring over to a Tampa-2 scheme with four down linemen.

In terms of having his support network nearby, Houston presents tremendous advantages for Jenkins, who collected 22.5 sacks and 25 tackles for loss in his 72 career games with the Jets.