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A few former Jets players and coaches won Super Bowl LVI with the Rams.
The Jets were nowhere near the Super Bowl, but a few of their former players and coaches participated in the big game.
Five men with connections to the franchise joined the Rams in their championship pursuit. Los Angeles succeeded in winning Super Bowl LVI over the Bengals on Sunday, and a few former Jets played a role in the victory.
Here are five ex-Jets who will be getting a ring after winning the Super Bowl with Los Angeles.
Ex-Jets safety Sharrod Neasman is going to get a chance to win a Super Bowl after signing with the Rams earlier this week.
Sharrod Neasman will get a chance to win a Super Bowl ring after spending the regular season on a Jets team stuck at the bottom of its division.
The Rams signed Neasman to their practice squad earlier this week, bolstering their secondary in wake of recent injuries. Jordan Fuller, Los Angeles’ defensive signal-caller, suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 18, while fellow starting safety Taylor Rapp is in concussion protocol. Cornerback Darious Williams suffered a shoulder injury in the Rams’ regular-season finale and is questionable to suit up against the Cardinals on Monday night.
It remains to be seen whether Neasman will suit up for the Rams — they also signed two-time All-Pro safety Eric Weddle, who came out of retirement for the opportunity, to their practice squad — but he is in play to win a Super Bowl for as long as Los Angeles is in the postseason.
Neasman signed with the Jets in June as a veteran depth piece on New York’s safety depth chart. Neasman played under Jeff Ulbrich with the Falcons in 2020, giving him familiarity with his defensive scheme and coaching style. He broke camp with the Jets, but was placed on injured reserve on Sept. 11 and wasn’t activated until Oct. 2.
Neasman was cut before New York’s season finale.
Neasman appeared in 11 games in his lone season with the Jets, totaling 14 tackles, three pass deflections, two tackles for loss and an interception. He started in New York’s Week 5 loss to the Falcons and finished with five tackles and one stop for a loss.
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The Jets released Shaq Lawson and Sharrod Neasman on Saturday.
The Jets will play their final game of the season Sunday, but the 2021 campaign came to a premature end for two of their veterans on Saturday.
DE Shaw Lawson and S Sharrod Neasman were released Saturday afternoon, the team announced. DE Ronnie Blair, WR Tarik Black and OL Ross Pierschbacher were elevated from the practice squad for New York’s finale against the Bills.
Lawson disappointed after Houston traded him to New York on Aug. 30 for a sixth-round pick. The hope was that he could help replace the injured Carl Lawson, but the ex-Texan didn’t offer much pass-rush production. Lawson, 27, recorded a career-low one sack over 14 games.
Cutting Lawson saves the Jets $9 million in cap space.
Neasman, meanwhile, played in 11 games after signing with the Jets in June. The 30-year-old split time between the secondary and special teams while the Jets struggled to maintain safety depth. Neasman picked up one interception along the way.
The Jets have been rocked by injuries at safety, but Robert Saleh is confident in Ashtyn Davis, Jarrod Wilson and Sharrod Neasman.
Jets safeties have been rocked by injuries this season.
New York has lost both its starters, Lamarcus Joyner and Marcus Maye, to season-ending injuries and has rotated a bevy of safeties throughout the lineup. Robert Saleh isn’t worried about the team’s lack of continuity and experience at the position, though. He expressed confidence in the three active safeties on the roster: Jarrod Wilson, Sharrod Neasman and second-year pro Ashtyn Davis.
The team also added 2020 UDFA Elijah Riley this week.
“That safety position has taken quite the hit in terms of just the amount of players that’ve come through there,” Saleh said Wednesday, adding that he hopes a few games together will lead to improved play.
Saleh and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich need to figure out what to do with the team’s depth chart quickly, though. The Jets allow 274.9 passing yards per game, which ranks fourth-most in the league. They have allowed 38 passing plays of at least 20 yards, which ranks second.
“Is it a challenge? Yeah,” Saleh added. “But do we have faith in our guys? Absolutely.”
Davis will likely step into the biggest role after Maye’s injury. The 2020 third-round pick is New York’s longest-tenured, active safety. He’s taking his development “week-to-week” after returning from an injury of his own in Week 4. He echoed Saleh, praising his fellow safeties but acknowledging they need more time together.
“We got guys who can play in our room,” he said Wednesday. “It’s just about building cohesiveness amongst us, getting reps in practice, getting the communication together and making sure we’re on the same page.”
That may be easier said than done. Between the safeties and cornerbacks, the Jets have an incredibly young and inexperienced secondary. Davis, Wilson and Neasman have just 561 total snaps this season. Riley’s addition to the safety room will add depth, but he mostly played special teams for the Eagles over the past two seasons.
Davis, despite his own inexperience, took it upon himself to be the leader with Maye and Joyner out.
“I’m going to do whatever I can within my power,” he said. “I’m not going to go outside my body but I’m going to make the plays that I can. I’m not going to try to play Superman, but I’m going to do what I need to do 100 percent.”
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Ashtyn Davis and Sharrod Neasman will try to make up for the loss of the injured Marcus Maye in their return to the Jets on Sunday.
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New York’s early-season woes got even worse earlier this week when Marcus Maye was ruled out with an ankle injury.
Robert Saleh said Friday that Maye is expected back against the Patriots, placing him out of action for the Jets’ next two games. Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich are still going to have to find a way to replace their star safety in the short-term, though, and will likely count on a wave of reinforcements to do so.
Ashtyn Davis returned from injured reserve after missing New York’s first three games with a foot injury and will suit up against the Titans, according to Saleh. Sharrod Neasman was also activated from injured reserve and will play in Week 4.
“Ashtyn comes back,” Saleh said. “Obviously, we can’t get him a full game in there because he hasn’t played football in a year, but we do plan on getting him part of the rotation, along with Jarrod Wilson and Neasman. They’re both back. We’ll have a good little rotation in there and play the hot hand, but they’ve all got to be ready to play.”
Wilson has been splitting time with Adrian Colbert at free safety after Lamarcus Joyner suffered a season-ending tricep injury in Week 1. The 27-year-old will now likely see some snaps at strong safety as well with Maye sidelined.
Whoever the Jets line up at safety on Sunday won’t have to worry about guarding A.J. Brown or Julio Jones, as both have been ruled out with injuries. Replacing a player of Maye’s caliber won’t be easy, but New York can take a deep breath knowing Brown or Jones won’t be trying to take the top off its defense for four quarters.
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Get to know new Jets safety Sharrod Neasman.
The Jets added to their safety depth Thursday afternoon, plucking veteran Sharrod Neasman out of free agency.
Neasman brings some much-needed experience to a Jets safety room that features two second-year players beyond starters Lamarcus Joyner and Marcus Maye. Neasman also has a bit of familiarity with New York’s defensive scheme, making him a relatively intriguing addition ahead of training camp.
Let’s get to know more about the Jets’ newest defensive back.
The Jets added another safety who has lots of special teams experience.
The Jets added a safety with ties to defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich on Thursday.
New York signed 29-year-old Sharrod Neasman, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Neasman spent the past five years with the Falcons. He has more special teams experience than safety experience, but he did earn two starts under Ulbrich in 2020. Neasman finished the season with 27 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery.
The sack was on Tom Brady.
Jets newly signed Sharrod Neasman sacking Tom Brady pic.twitter.com/H2QSMJRiWt
— NYJ Matt (@NYJ_Matt) June 10, 2021
Neasman tallied just 80 total tackles after the Falcons signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He is a potential special teams contributor who could also back up Marcus Maye and Lamarcus Joyner in the deep secondary.
He led the Falcons in special teams snaps in each of the past two seasons with 304 in 2020 and 325 in 2019. He had only 301 total defensive snaps during that span.
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