Tag: Sheldon Rankins

Robert Saleh confident Sheldon Rankins won’t have to go on injured reserve

Robert Saleh confident Sheldon Rankins won’t have to go on injured reserve

When defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins went down with an elbow in Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills, the initial concern was he’d be out perhaps at least a month and maybe more. There’s a chance that may not be the case.

Speaking to the media Wednesday, head coach Robert Saleh talked about Rankins, among other injury updates, and expressed confidence that Rankins will not have to go on injured reserve. That could be a sign that Rankins could return sooner than expected, especially since he has already had a week to recover, thanks to the bye week.

Rankins will be out this week against the Patriots. The Jets were also on the lookout for some help at the position in the short-term, as they put in a waiver claim on former Chargers’ defensive tackle Jerry Tillery. He would end up being claimed by the Raiders.

But if the Jets are not yet putting him on injured reserve and it has already been almost two weeks since the injury, that could be a positive sign for Rankins, who has been having a very solid season next to Quinnen Williams with two sacks and 25 tackles.

Max Mitchell returning to practice this week, George Fant still out among injury updates

A few injury updates from the Jets including Max Mitchell returning to practice this week.

The Jets received a bit of good news on the offensive line front Monday. Head coach Robert Saleh told the media this week that offensive tackle Max Mitchell (knee) will be designated to return from injured reserve this week and return to practice.

This will open the 21-day window for the Jets to officially activate Mitchell back on the roster. Perhaps the Jets do that this week and he returns against the Patriots, but regardless, Mitchell will be back soon. He has not played since injuring his knee in Week 4 against the Steelers.

On the flip side, it will be another week of waiting for fellow offensive tackle George Fant (knee). He will not return to practice this week and remain on injured reserve for at least another week. Fant went down in Week 3 against the Bengals.

Other quick injury updates provided by Saleh Monday include wide receiver Corey Davis (knee) still considered day-to-day and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (elbow) will be out this week. Davis has missed the last two games since suffering his knee injury against the Broncos in Week 7 while Rankins went down with his elbow injury against the Bills in Week 9.

 

Sheldon Rankins out 4-6 weeks with dislocated elbow

Sheldon Rankins out at least a month with a dislocated elbow

Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins suffered a dislocated elbow during Sunday’s win over the Bills and will miss 4-6 weeks, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Rankins left the game during the first quarter and headed back to get x-rays. He was quietly having a very nice year for the Jets. He has 25 tackles and two sacks this season.

The silver lining is the Jets have their bye week coming up, so Rankins may not miss as many games. How quickly his elbow heals will determine how soon Rankins can rejoin the lineup.

This couls make Rankins a candidate for injured reserve if he is going to be out at least four weeks, however, head coach Robert Saleh is considering him “week-to-week” and won’t decide on injured reserve until after the bye week.

The Jets have Nathan Shepherd and Solomon Thomas behind Quinnen Williams and also have Jonathan Marshall and Tanzel Smart on the practice squad and John Franklin-Myers and Micheal Clemons can also play inside, if needed.

In Week 9, Williams played 46/62 snaps, Thomas played 27 snaps and Shepherd played 23. Rankins played ten before the injury.

Sheldon Rankins absolutely loved Quinnen Williams’ stiff-arm of Tyreek Hill

Sheldon Rankins absolutely loved Quinnen Williams’ stiff-arm of Tyreek Hill

The Jets were full of highlights in their 40-17 win over the Miami Dolphins. One such highlight was Carl Lawson’s fourth-quarter strip-sack on Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson that was recovered by Quinnen Williams.

Williams then proceeded to advance the ball. Oh, and he also pie-faced Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill right to the ground.

One player who really loved that stiff-arm? Williams’ running mate on the line, Sheldon Rankins.

“If you can’t get into the end zone, a close second is launching another human being into the turf,” Rankins told reporters after the game. On the very next play from scrimmage, it was Breece Hall getting into the end zone to all but ice the game for the Jets at 33-17.

John Franklin-Myers also mentioned how Hill’s comments about the Jets and spurning them in favor of the Dolphins this offseason were disrespectful and rubbed people the wrong way,

It was all fun and games for the Jets on Sunday as they launched the entire Dolphins team into the turf and into third place in the division just two weeks after being one of just two remaining undefeated teams in the NFL.

2022 NFL draft: Every player taken with 12th overall pick in last 10 years

Will the Vikings land the next NFL star at No. 12?

Everyone has a different opinion on what the Minnesota Vikings will end up doing with the No. 12 overall pick of the 2022 NFL draft.

That in itself is a good thing as far as first-year general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is concerned. It means he did his job to not leave any glaring holes in free agency.

Granted, the team does have obvious needs at defensive back, interior offensive line and edge rusher. But they aren’t so desperate for help in a particular area of need for them to reach at a position.

They’re in the often sought after spot of being able to take the best available player on the board, while also weighing opportunities for draft day trades. With that said, the No. 12 position on the draft board has been a bit of a sweet spot for some teams in recent history.

Here is every player taken with the pick in the last 10 years.

Jets hosting former Saints linebacker Kwon Alexander for free agent visit

The Jets are hosting former Saints linebacker Kwon Alexander for a free agent visit, potentially reuniting him with his old coach Robert Saleh:

Well this is interesting: ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the New York Jets are hosting former New Orleans Saints linebacker Kwon Alexander on a free agent visit Tuesday. Alexander, 27, has played really well for New Orleans after the team acquired him in a midseason trade with the San Francisco 49ers back in 2020. He’s been an ideal compliment to Demario Davis as an athletic playmaker who can make plays in coverage.

And that 49ers connection helps explain the sudden interest from New York. Alexander played for Jets head coach Robert Saleh in San Francisco when Saleh was defensive coordinator, so they’ve got a shared history and an easy fit for him in the Jets defense.

There are some Jets players who can attest to the impact Alexander brings, too — his former Saints teammates Sheldon Rankins and Justin Hardee Sr. are both signed with New York for the upcoming season. So it’s looking like a friendly situation for him between the coaching staff and the team that would be around him.

It didn’t take long for Alexander to achieve fan-favorite status in New Orleans, so there’s a big push from fans to re-sign him, but he’s still available this late in the offseason for a reason. Part of that could be his injury history; Alexander has played 12, 12, 8, and 6 games in each of the last four seasons. His contract parameters may also have been too big for the Saints to agree to right away, so this is an opportunity for him to test the market and see what’s out there. If the Jets aren’t willing to pay Alexander what he’s worth, maybe he returns to New Orleans.

But if Alexander is signed away the Saints could recoup a 2023 compensatory draft pick — but not for him. If Alexander leaves on a deal averaging more than $2.5 million before the NFL cutoff date (May 2), he would balance out the Saints’ signing of Andy Dalton, which wiped out a projected third-round comp pick they would have received after letting Terron Armstead leave for the Miami Dolphins.

That’s a small consolation, and the Saints may look to get another linebacker to back up Pete Werner in the starting lineup (unless Zack Baun is finally ready), but the second-year pro played well as a rookie and appears ready to get full-time snaps next to Davis. As we can see, it’s an interesting situation, and there are a lot of possibilities that branch off depending on how it turns out. Stay tuned for movement.

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6 winners and losers from the Jets’ offseason so far

The Jets have been busy this offseason. That’s good news for a few incumbent members of the team. Others, however, may lose out:

The Jets have made a lot of moves this offseason. Some were to shore up positions of need. Others were to upgrade units that were awful last season.

All of those transactions have consequences – positive and negative – for incumbent players. Some, like a young quarterback, will benefit from the weapons New York added. And then there are declining veterans and unproven youngsters whose roles could be jeopardized.

With more moves to come in the draft, here’s a look at the Jets’ biggest winners and losers from the offseason so far — not counting the newcomers.

4 defensive tackles Jets could target in 2022 NFL draft

These four defensive tackles could pique the Jets’ interest, starting with the second day of the 2022 NFL draft:

The Jets are in good shape at defensive tackle entering 2022 — even after Foley Fatukasi left in free agency. Quinnen Williams has continued to develop under Robert Saleh and Sheldon Rankins is returning for the final year of his contract, giving New York two veterans it can count on.

None of that means the Jets will ignore the defensive tackle position in this year’s draft, though. Williams is locked into the starting lineup, but Rankins has battled injuries throughout his career and will be a free agent at the end of next season. That could lead Joe Douglas to target his replacement later this month.

Defensive tackle is not a major position of need for the Jets, which means Georgia DT Jordan Davis is highly unlikely to land in the Big Apple. The same goes for his teammate, Devonte Wyatt. Both have first-round grades and New York simply isn’t going to target the position that high.

Here are four defensive tackles the Jets could target beginning on day two of the draft, though.

Portion of Sheldon Rankins’ 2022 salary guaranteed after first week of free agency

The Jets are all but locked into Sheldon Rankins for 2022, as a portion of his salary recently became guaranteed.

Sheldon Rankins was a potential offseason salary cap casualty with the way the Jets structured his contract last March. Joe Douglas frontloaded Rankins’ deal with guaranteed money, turning a two-year deal into one New York could get out of after just a season without any major financial ramifications.

Fast forward to the second week of free agency and the veteran defensive tackle is all but a lock to be back with the Jets in 2022. A portion of Rankins’ base salary for next season became guaranteed on the fifth day of the new league year, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. New York will pay Rankins $1.25 million of the $4.5 million he is due to make in the final year of his contract.

The Jets lost Foley Fatukasi to the Jaguars early in free agency, making retaining Rankins all the more important. Rankins finished 2021 with 32 tackles, seven quarterback hits, five tackles for loss, three sacks and two fumble recoveries. Most importantly, he missed just one of New York’s 17 games after battling an assortment of injuries during his final two seasons with the Saints.

Rankins is now slated to begin 2022 as a starter on the interior of the defensive line next to Quinnen Williams. Even if the Jets select a defensive end high in the 2022 NFL draft and move John Franklin-Myers inside to play with Williams, Rankins will receive a plethora of snaps in Jeff Ulbrich’s defense next season.

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6 defensive tackles the Jets should avoid in free agency

The Jets should steer clear of these six defensive tackles in the event they have to replace Foley Fatukasi.

Important decisions lie ahead for Joe Douglas with free agency looming.

The Jets made some progress in 2021, but Robert Saleh still needs more talent to work with. New York enters the offseason with holes on both sides of the ball and free agency is the perfect time to address some of them.

Gang Green is in good shape on the defensive line with Quinnen Williams continuing to get better, John Franklin-Myers locked up on a contract extension and Carl Lawson returning from a ruptured Achilles. Who will line up next to Williams at defensive tackle in 2022 remains to be seen, though, as Foley Fatukasi is a free agent and Sheldon Rankins could wind up a salary cap casualty. Even if he sticks around, Rankins is best served as a rotational piece at this point in his career.

The Jets would like to keep Fatukasi, but there’s a real chance he signs elsewhere. Here are six defensive tackles Douglas shouldn’t have in mind in the event he has to replace him.