26 Days To Go

Edition #655

Good morning! ☕

It’s been far too long but when I look at the latest Jets news and see the biggest story is relating to Aaron Rodgers making an appearances at UFC 303, you know there’s not a lot to share. Aaron Rodgers and Haason Reddick can be wherever they want to be right now, as long as they’re in the facility at the end of this month, nothing else matters. This is the one time in the NFL calendars where teams want these players to get away, stay in shape, but get away. The NFL season is a grind, now is the time to take a breather.

But we are officially in July and that means we can officially say that training camp starts this month.

The Jets will return to the Atlantic Health centre for testing on July 27th, which is less than four weeks away. From that date on, TJW will be back with your daily dose of Jets news and views as the camp battles start to come into focus.

🟢 Jets reporter Ethan Greenberg was asked what he expects from Aaron Rodgers this season - “It's hard to project what to expect from a 40-year-old quarterback coming off a major surgery, but it would be silly to bet against Aaron Rodgers. There's no doubt the four-time NFL MVP still has the ability to zip the ball on a string that leaves defenders confused and spectators amazed -- we caught a glimpse of it in OTAs. Rodgers also showed he still has the mobility to extend a play, which is something I'm looking for when the pads come on in training camp. With an improved offensive line and talent across the offense, I expect Rodgers to keep the interceptions low, like he always has. In terms of stats, Rodgers' 2022 season was widely considered a down year with 3,695 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while dealing with a thumb injury on this throwing hand. I think he'll have better numbers than that this coming season.”

⚪ Jets kicker Greg Zuerlein was asked about the impact the new kickoff rules will have: "To completely honest with you, it is all a work in progress," Zuerlein said. "We did some practicing this spring and it didn't go as you would expect, so it's going to be a work in progress this summer figuring out what kicks work and taking them into the preseason games and seeing if you kick it like this, what's the result. It will be a lot of trial and error from there and is going to be very interesting preseason, so stay tuned." before adding "It opens up so many more opportunities to impact the game," Zuerlein said. "It also takes some away because you're not going to have surprise onside chances, but it also opens so many new opportunities, which I'm sure I haven't seen and everyone else around the league hasn't seen. It's just so unknown as of now."

🟢 Quincy Williams is looking to take his game to the next level in 2024, and part of that will be creating turnovers: "The biggest thing I've been working on are turnovers this year," he said. "I think I dropped like seven interceptions and only got one of them last year. So I'm working on my hands, hand-eye coordination, finding the air behind the ball when I'm punching it out and then just being a leader this year and not just playing a role."

⚪ Bucky Brooks put out an article on players who are set to break out on offence in 2024, and he had Joe Tippmann as his chosen centre: “Tippmann didn't make his first regular-season appearance until Week 3 last season, and he didn't move from right guard to center until Week 9, with the Aaron Rodgers-less Jets winning just three of Tippmann's 10 starts from that point forward. Rodgers' return from the Achilles injury that cost him all but four offensive snaps in 2023 should make life easier for Tippmann at the point of attack. The four-time MVP quarterback can alleviate some of the stress on Tippmann to make all the calls at the line while helping the young pivot master some of the nuances of playing the position. As a scrappy blocker with exceptional length and athleticism, the former second-rounder could settle into his role in Year 2 and show more dominance after flashing blue-chip potential.”

🟢 PFF outlined the best linebacking units in the league and the Jets came out as the best unit “The Jets rostered two of the 10 highest-graded linebackers in the NFL last season. C.J. Mosley and Quincy Williams were at their best in coverage, where they ranked first and second in PFF grade at the position, respectively.”

⚪ PFF also had the Jets owning the #1 defensive line in football as well: “The Jets have a fearsome defensive line, even with a couple of offseason departures in the form of John Franklin-Myers and Bryce Huff. Those were offset at least in part by acquiring Haason Reddick, and could be entirely eclipsed if Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald IV take steps forward. Quinnen Williams is one of the best and most disruptive defensive linemen in the game, making the Jets as good as it gets on the defensive line.”

🟢 The 33rd Team built their perfect NFL roster and part of that was picking the Jets cornerbacks: “The excellent play of the New York Jets' cornerbacks is a big reason the team’s defense ranked second against the pass and third overall last season. Sauce Gardner has likely established himself as the league’s best corner in only two seasons. He’s earned first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in both of his seasons. Gardner had no interceptions last season. Teams avoided throwing in his area, but he did have 11 passes defensed and added 57 tackles. D.J. Reed has also developed into an excellent starting corner and third CB Michael Carter is a fine player. Together these three defenders create an elite group for the Jets’ defense.”

⚪ In a way too early 2025 Sports Illustrated mock draft, with the No. 21 pick, the Jets picked Penn State safety Kevin Winston Jr. “Malaki Starks is the best safety in the nation, but Penn State’s Kevin Winston Jr. is not far behind,” Cory Kinnan wrote. “The Jets have elite cornerback play with Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed, and now they get those guys some relief over the top in the talented Winston Jr. here.”

✈️ I was having a look through the remaining available free agents and while I don’t expect the Jets to make any major moves, Joe Douglas has never been against strengthening the team once training camp has begun.