Tag: Robert Saleh

Panthers set date for joint practice with Jets

The Panthers will end their training camp schedule with a visit from the Jets.

Welcome back, Gang Green.

On Thursday morning, the Carolina Panthers officially announced the dates and details for this year’s training camp. The 15th and final day of the schedule is down for Thursday, Aug. 15—when the New York Jets make their summer return.

This will mark the second installment of joint practice in as many years between the Panthers and the visiting Jets.

Head coach Dave Canales commented on his relationship with New York’s head coach Robert Saleh back on May 29, when news of the joint practice first broke out.

“Robert Saleh and I were quality control coaches together with the Seahawks,” he said after that afternoon’s session of team organized activities. “We were together for Super Bowl XLVIII, and then he left shortly after that. So we have about a 13-year or 14-year relationship. We were able to practice with them last year in Tampa, and so we just kinda talked about doing that again.”

The practice is slated to begin at 9:30 a.m. ET at the Carolina Panthers Practice Fields, located across from Bank of America at 705 W. 4th St. in Charlotte. The session will be followed by Carolina’s second preseason game of the summer, which kicks off at 7:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 17.

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Mike Williams expected to be ready for season, on similar timeline to Breece Hall

Mike Williams is expected to be ready for season as the Jets are treating his recovery time similar to that of Breece Hall.

Jets wide receiver Mike Williams is still recovering from his ACL injury from last season and is not expected to be ready for the start of training camp. Head coach Robert Saleh did say he should be ready for the start of the regular season.

Williams’ recovery is similar to that of running back Breece Hall, who tore his ACL during the 2022 season. Hall started 2023 training camp on the physically unable to perform list. He would be activated in the middle of August and was eased back in for the first few weeks before being let loose in the middle of the season. Williams will likely also begin training camp on the PUP list.

Williams tore his ACL in Week 3 of last season while with the Los Angeles Chargers. He was released this offseason as the Chargers shed salary cap under new head coach Jim Harbaugh and new general manager Joe Hortiz. The Jets signed Williams to a one-year deal worth $10 million with $8.3 million guaranteed and can grow to $15 million with incentives, which include $1.7 million in per-game roster bonuses.

With Williams out, the Jets have been able to get more looks at those jockeying for position behind Williams and Garrett Wilson, including rookie Malachi Corley, Xavier Gipson, Allen Lazard and Jason Brownlee in what will be one of the more interesting camp battles this summer.

Aaron Rodgers skips Jets mandatory minicamp, and his absence is unexcused

Aaron Rodgers is skipping the Jets’ mandatory minicamp

The New York Jets are having mandatory minicamp, and two prominent players are not present.

Robert Saleh addressed the absence of Aaron Rodgers and Haason Reddick.

Saleh said both players are subject to fines per the CBA.

Rodgers’ absence is due to an event that was “very important to him,” said the Jets’ coach.

Where is Robert Saleh in Touchdown Wire’s head coach rankings entering 2024?

Where does Robert Saleh fall in Touchdown Wire’s head coach rankings entering the 2024 season?

Robert Saleh is entering his fourth season as Jets head coach and is still looking for his first winning season. The Jets have finished 7-10 each of the last two seasons following a 4-13 year in Saleh’s rookie campaign. Everyone in the building is hoping the 2024 season will be a much better one with the returning Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. If not, major changes will occur, in all likelihood.

Needless to say, Saleh isn’t quite regarded as one of the top coaches in the NFL. But where does he rank overall? Jarrett Bailey gave his thoughts as he ranked all 32 head coaches for Touchdown Wire. So where did Saleh land in Bailey’s list?

Saleh is all the way down at No. 28. Here’s what Bailey said about him:

Robert Saleh has accomplished nothing since taking over as Jets head coach. And while last season felt like a cruel joke from the Football Gods, this is still very much a do or die year for Saleh. He is 18-33 in three seasons at the helm. If the Jets fail to make the postseason in 2024, there is no reason why he should return as head coach.

The only coaches ranked lower than Saleh on this list were:

29. Brian Daboll, Giants
30. Jerod Mayo, Patriots
31. Matt Eberflus, Bears
32. Dennis Allen, Saints

With the level of hype around the Jets high, there is a lot of pressure on Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas. It’s all or nothing in 2024.

Robert Saleh confirms Haason Reddick not at OTAs, expects to be at minicamp

Robert Saleh confirms Haason Reddick not at OTAs, expects to be at minicamp

OTAs during the spring are always voluntary. Players do not have to attend. However, it’s still interesting to note that one of the Jets’ key offseason acquisitions has not yet attended early workouts with his new team. That player is edge-defender Haason Reddick.

Head coach Robert Saleh spoke to the media Tuesday and confirmed Reddick has not yet been at OTAs but did say he does expect Reddick to attend next week’s mandatory minicamp.

“For me, I’m focused on the guys who are here,” Saleh said, via Brian Costello of the New York Post. “Haason’s a pro. He’s been in this league a while. He’s produced at a very high level for a long time. He’s got his routine. If it makes people feel better, we know where he’s at, we know what he’s doing. We know he’s working his tail off to get where he needs to get to to have a productive ’24 season.”

Reddick is entering the final year of his three-year contract that he originally signed with the Philadelphia Eagles back in 2022. He is slated to make $14.5 million this season but is looking for a new deal. Contract issues helped push the Eagles to trade Reddick to the Jets for a Day 2 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after the team signed former Jets defensive end Bryce Huff.

Reddick is also missing out on a $250,000 offseason workout bonus by not attending OTAs.

The thought was the two sides would work out a deal shortly after the trade was made. That was back on March 29.

There’s still time for a new deal to be worked out but it’s not the greatest of signs that the Jets traded for a player and are now in the middle of a contract issue with that player.

Reddick and Jermaine Johnson will lead a slightly new-look defensive end group that, in addition to Huff, also is now without John Franklin-Myers, who the team traded to the Denver Broncos during the draft.

Former Eagles edge rusher Haason Reddick skipping Jets’ OTAs

Former Eagles edge rusher Haason Reddick skipping Jets’ OTAs and head coach Robert Saleh doesn’t know why

Like Parrish Smith of EPMD, Eagles GM Howie Roseman saw it coming, trading Haason Reddick to the Jets after signing Bryce Huff away for a three-year, $51 million deal.

Reddick has skipped all of his new team’s voluntary offseason team activities, and according to Rich Cimini of ESPN, Jets head coach Robert Saleh admits he’s not sure why.

Last season, Reddick finished 15th in the league with 11 sacks and made his second straight Pro Bowl.

He recorded double-digit sacks for the fourth consecutive season, leading his team in that category and tying for 15th in the NFL. Outside of the sacks, though, Reddick’s numbers were poor by his standards.

His 38 tackles were the second-lowest mark of his career, and he didn’t force or recover a fumble after forcing five and recovering three last season. His snap share (74 percent) remained identical, indicating the drop-off wasn’t due to a lack of opportunities but mismanagement from coaches.

Commanders will hold joint practice with Jets this summer

The Commanders will hold a joint practice with the Jets this summer.

The Washington Commanders have three preseason games this summer—all against the AFC East. They play the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, and New York Jets in the preseason.

Since the NFL adopted the 17-game schedule, the league cut back to three preseason games. While that was a popular move for everyone, it was one less opportunity for roster hopefuls to show they belonged in the NFL. That led more teams to seek out joint practices with their preseason opponents.

Earlier this month, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel revealed his team would have at least one joint practice with the Commanders. McDaniel worked for Washington head coach Dan Quinn in Atlanta.

On Wednesday, New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh met with the media and said his team would also hold joint practice with the Commanders. Saleh didn’t indicate if it was one practice or multiple practices.

Saleh also has a history with Quinn dating back to when he worked under Quinn with the Seahawks.

Last summer, Washington held a pair of joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens before the two played in the preseason. It will be interesting if the Commanders schedule anything with the Patriots, too.

Panthers expected to host Jets for joint practices this summer

The Panthers are expected to host the Jets for joint practices this summer. HC Dave Canales spoke about that on Wednesday.

New York Jets coach Robert Saleh let the cat, or the cats, out of the bag on Wednesday—telling reporters that his team will be visiting the Carolina Panthers for joint practices this summer.

His counterpart for those sessions, Dave Canales, was asked about his relationship with Saleh on Wednesday.

“Robert Saleh and I were quality control coaches together with the Seahawks,” he said after today’s session of team organized activities. “We were together for Super Bowl XLVIII, and then he left shortly after that. So we have about a 13-year or 14-year relationship. We were able to practice with them last year in Tampa, and so we just kinda talked about doing that again.”

The Jets were also able to practice with the Panthers last year—in a brief trip to Spartanburg that culminated in a preseason matchup at Bank of America Stadium. That exhibition, which was the first of the summer, ended in a 27-0 win for New York.

Canales then went into detail about how the practices can benefit his squad.

“It’s a great advantage for us because we play so much five-man front type of defense,” he added. “So he’s more the traditional 4-3 defense. We need that work. They ask their defensive ends, their tackles to play aggressively up the line of scrimmage. And so, that’s a lot different than the way we play our two-gap systems, where guys are kind of keeping their shoulders square and staying in gaps. So we need the different part of that rush.”

See you soon, Gang Green.

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Robert Saleh says Nathaniel Hackett will remain primary play-caller

Robert Saleh says Nathaniel Hackett will remain primary play-caller

Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett will remain the primary play-caller for the offense during the 2024 season, head coach Robert Saleh said Tuesday before the team’s first open-to-the-media OTA session.

According to a report last week from SNY’s Connor Hughes, the team made “legitimate attempts” this offseason to hire someone who would have been above Hackett on the staff and effectively put him in charge of the offense.

That hire never materialized, so this offense is still Hackett’s. Saleh wouldn’t talk about whether the team tried to replace Hackett but did confirm Hackett will still call plays this season.

“Last year was a tremendous learning experience for everybody (regarding overcoming the plethora of injuries the team went through),” Saleh said. “It’s about building an offense that can weather the storm of injury. Last year we got caught behind the eight ball.”

Hackett downplayed the reports the Jets were looking to essentially replace him, saying, “I don’t know what those reports are and I don’t know where their sources came from. I know what happened with us and it was great. We had a lot of conversations and got to talk with a lot of different people. It’s that simple. It’s already been addressed.”

Hackett said he does believe Saleh still believes in him. He also said he was involved in all the conversations that happened this offseason involving potential hires. The Jets did make a couple of changes to the offensive staff. Tony Dews replaced Taylor Embree as running backs coach while Shawn Jefferson returns as wide receivers coach after three years between Arizona and Carolina. Zach Azzanni left to become Pittsburgh’s wide receivers coach.

The Jets look to have an effective offense on paper, but it will come down to injury luck and how Hackett navigates the offense throughout the season.

Aaron Rodgers not expected to have limitations in OTAs, says Robert Saleh

Aaron Rodgers not expected to have limitations in OTAs, says Robert Saleh

Jets head coach Robert Saleh is not expecting quarterback Aaron Rodgers to have any limitations when OTAs begin on May 20. Saleh says Rodgers will not have any restrictions during the workouts.

“Once phase three (of OTAs) hits, we’re not anticipating any restrictions from what we can and can’t do with him,” Saleh said Friday, via ESPN’s Rich Cimini.

“The guy can still sling it,” Saleh added. “Obviously, he’s still working through his rehab, but there are no issues on the trajectory on which he’s going.”

That third phase of OTAs allows players to participate in non-contact, 11-on-11 drills.

The third phase lasts four weeks. The Jets will OTAs on May 20, 21, 23, 28, 29 and 31 then June 3, 4, 6 and 7. June 11-13 is the team’s mandatory minicamp.

Rodgers returned to practice during the last month of the regular season and was activated off injured reserve. So ultimately, it’s not too surprising the Jets are starting to take the reins off of Rodgers.