Taking a closer look at Jimmy Ciarlo

Edition #640

Good morning! ☕

Today we’re taking a look at Jimmy Ciarlo today, a UDFA out of army who Joe Douglas was gushing over.

We also take a quick look at the signing of Tarik Cohen, a long shot but a shot worth taking if you’re the Jets, considering the new kick-off rules implemented by the NFL.

Note to self: Don’t write about Tom Brady 😆

🟢 It was announced on Wednesday that the Jets had signed former Pro-Bowler and All-Pro Tarik Cohen, an electric returner who’s attempting to make a comeback after not taking a single NFL snap in three years. Cohen lost his 2020 season thanks to a torn ACL, MCL and leg fracture. After he recovered from that he suffered a torn Achilles, and while he signed with Carolina last season, he didn’t see the field. The Jets will be hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with Cohen returning to his 2018 form, but let’s be honest…after suffering all those injuries and not playing in three years, it’s a long shot.

⚪ According to reports out of camp yesterday, Allen Lazard had a tough day at the office, dropping a touchdown from Rodgers. It’s only OTA’s and it’s important not to overreact to anything, but Lazard really needs a strong camp and it doesn’t sound as though his OTA is off to the best start.

🟢The 33rd team believe the Jets were one of five teams win ‘win’ the off-season. I’ll be honest, I’m tired of winning the off-season, I want to win some games. “The New York Jets had a clear goal this offseason: improve the offensive line. They accomplished that without overspending and overdrafting. The first move was a trade for Morgan Moses, one of the league's most consistent right tackles over the last decade. He's getting older (33), but he’s only missed three games since the start of the 2015 season. Moses provides stability on the right side and is one of the league’s top pass blockers.”

⚪ NFL.com also had the Jets listed as one of the most improved teams in the NFL

It was a humbling season for the Jets in 2023. They probably didn’t figure they’d be making substantial roster moves to improve their championship chances at this time last year, not after quarterback Aaron Rodgers arrived in a trade with Green Bay. Now here they sit, after a frustrating season that basically ended when Rodgers tore an Achilles tendon in the opener, hoping to rebuild optimism about their potential. The first good news is that Rodgers is healthy and back in offseason workouts. The second thing that should excite Jets fans is the commitment the franchise made to improving an unreliable offensive line. Not only did GM Joe Douglas add veteran talent -- in guard John Simpson and offensive tackles Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses -- but he also used a first-round pick on left tackle Olu Fashanu. This is called throwing numbers at the problem, and I love it. The acquisition of wide receiver Mike Williams is another solid move that should add a vertical dimension to the offense. Yes, there are real questions about keeping players healthy (especially Williams and Smith). There also should be real hype about what the team could accomplish if injuries don’t derail it for a second straight year.

We’ve talked a lot about the defensive linemen the Jets signed to UDFA deals and for good reason. Eric Watts and Braiden McGregor are the only two to get guarantees north of $200k. When a team hands out a guarantee north of $200k it tends to mean they have real expectations that they’ll at least battle for a place on the roster.

If you look down the guaranteed money you’ll see linebacker Jimmy Ciarlo coming in at #4 on the Jets list with $110k worth of guarantees. I haven’t really heard a great deal about Ciarlo, so I thought I’d take a quick look for TJW.

As always, the first thing I did was look at his athletic profile. Quite short, quite light but otherwise pretty good. The forty won’t blow you away but the 10 and 20 yard splits are good and the vertical and 3-cone show some explosion and change of direction. I don’t mind a LB not having elite long speed if they have short area quickness, and Ciarlo seems to have that.

Next you have a look at his stats and how he held up at West Point. He played sparingly his first year in 2021, but then in 2022 he really took off before completing his stay with a very good 2023 season which saw him improve in nearly every single metric.