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Jets’ rash of linebacker injuries could come with huge payoff


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https://nypost.com/2020/05/23/jets-rash-of-linebacker-injuries-could-come-with-huge-payoff/

Part eight in a series analyzing the New York Jets.

The inside linebacker position may be the deepest on the Jets. Part of the reason is several of them got more experience than anyone expected last year due to injuries.

The Jets were ravaged by injuries at this spot in 2019. Starters Avery Williamson and C.J. Mosley were barely factors. Williamson tore the ACL in his right knee during a preseason game and missed the entire season.

For three quarters, Mosley looked like he was worth every bit of the $85 million contract the Jets gave him last year. Then he suffered a groin injury in that Week 1 loss to the Bills and only played one more game in the season.

Even backups Neville Hewitt and Blake Cashman suffered injuries. At one point the Jets were playing their fifth and sixth inside linebackers.

The injuries led to increased playing time for Hewitt, Cashman and James Burgess, who are all back this season. General manager Joe Douglas added Patrick Onwuasor from the Ravens, who was a starter for a time in Baltimore. It gives coordinator Gregg Williams a room stacked with experienced players.

Ideally, the Jets don’t want to test that depth, though. The hope is Mosley is back to 100 percent and can anchor the defense. The team gave him that monster contract in 2019, believing he could lead their defense on and off the field. He was all over the field against the Bills in Week 1 with a pick-six, a fumble recovery and six tackles. Then, it was over. Mosley had surgery late last year and has said he expects to be ready for training camp.

Williamson is an interesting player to watch this summer. He was viewed as a possible cap casualty this offseason because he has a cap number of $8.5 million, and the Jets would save $6.5 million by cutting him. His knee injury may have complicated matters and Williamson remains on the roster. The question is: What happens when he is fully healthy? Will the Jets look to shed his salary before the season?

Williamson played very well in 2018 and is a good locker room presence. But if someone else emerges during training camp, Williamson may be viewed as expendable.

Hewitt was impressive in the 12 games he played last year, and even dating back to 2018 when he replaced a suspended Darron Lee late in the season. He had two interceptions and three sacks. The Jets re-signed him in free agency to a one-year, $2 million deal.

 

Onwuasor is an interesting addition. He also got a one-year, $2 million contract. The Ravens had high hopes from Onwuasor after he played well down the stretch for them in 2018. They wanted him to be Mosley’s replacement last year after Mosley departed for the Jets. But Onwuasor struggled and lost his starting job midway through the season. Onwuasor is a very good blitzer, and Williams may find creative ways to deploy him and get him after the quarterback, especially with the Jets having a weakness at edge rusher.

Cashman was raw as a rookie but showed some promise. A shoulder injury ended his season in October. He can be a strong special teams contributor this season and give the Jets some depth at linebacker.

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I've been thinking this all offseason. I'm still worried JD might cut Williamson, and if he does, I think that changes things a little. But this is an area where the Jets are actually in pretty good shape surprisingly. The Jets still need n edge rusher badly, but I really like this group. Possibly a suitable edge rusher rises from this group. At ILB the Jets are stacked.

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1 hour ago, NYJ1 said:

I've been thinking this all offseason. I'm still worried JD might cut Williamson, and if he does, I think that changes things a little. But this is an area where the Jets are actually in pretty good shape surprisingly. The Jets still need n edge rusher badly, but I really like this group. Possibly a suitable edge rusher rises from this group. At ILB the Jets are stacked.

Only way he gets cut is if we sign Peters, Clowney or Ryan.  If that happened our roster would be better 

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18 minutes ago, NYJ1 said:

Well, we had Mike Macagnan as our GM. He drafted Darron Lee and actually thought it was a great move. Remember Toilet and Mac talking to the media and saying how Darron Lee was going to play inside and outside and was a central pillar for the defense moving forward? Lol

Darron Lee was a ******* safety with horrible coverage skill we drafted to play LBer. He was barely bigger than Adams

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17 minutes ago, Aaron Hernandez said:

Darron Lee was a ******* safety with horrible coverage skill we drafted to play LBer. He was barely bigger than Adams

Can you say bust..

Darron Lee (born October 18, 1994) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Ohio State University, and was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

25 and on the scrap heap..

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15 minutes ago, BurnleyJet said:

Can you say bust..

Darron Lee (born October 18, 1994) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Ohio State University, and was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

25 and on the scrap heap..

Darron Lee was a poor mans Jamal Adams. Typical Mac. Drafting to upgrade players he filled already. Just like DL. Never gonna fill holes that way.

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All that pain of 1-7 is rewarded with a bunch of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th stringers getting a ton of real playing time.  We are going to be a deep, deep defensive team.  Not going to get winded in the fourth quarter.  Going to have a D that knows how to finish games (finally).

SAR I

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Darron Lee has more career ints than Jamalmazing.

As for the ilb issue this article is late to the party.  All of that was quite evident last year.

Also the reason why you do not invest heavily salary wise or draft pick wise for ilb.

Shall we compare more important stats such as tackles, tackles behind the line of scrimmage, sacks, forced fumbles , game changing plays???

 

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using JetNation.com mobile app

 

 

 

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Part of the reason I dont get too hyped on depth.  If they are players with lingering injury  issues... sometimes that can be a trending thing the next year.  Now if they are all over the place knocking the sh*t out of people next year... two deep at each position.  (Slams beer, fist bump)

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1 hour ago, Dunnie said:

Shall we compare more important stats such as tackles, tackles behind the line of scrimmage, sacks, forced fumbles , game changing plays???

 

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using JetNation.com mobile app

 

 

 

turnovers are usually game changing plays.  If we want to extol jamal adams as an ilb then by all means.

When people throw around his pro bowl status, his best player on the team, he should be the highest paid safety in the league they forget what made the great safeties of the past great. 

His list of actual game changing plays is short.

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turnovers are usually game changing plays.  If we want to extol jamal adams as an ilb then by all means.
When people throw around his pro bowl status, his best player on the team, he should be the highest paid safety in the league they forget what made the great safeties of the past great. 
His list of actual game changing plays is short.


Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using JetNation.com mobile app

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turnovers are usually game changing plays.  If we want to extol jamal adams as an ilb then by all means.
When people throw around his pro bowl status, his best player on the team, he should be the highest paid safety in the league they forget what made the great safeties of the past great. 
His list of actual game changing plays is short.


Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using JetNation.com mobile app

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7 hours ago, SAR I said:

All that pain of 1-7 is rewarded with a bunch of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th stringers getting a ton of real playing time.  We are going to be a deep, deep defensive team.  Not going to get winded in the fourth quarter.  Going to have a D that knows how to finish games (finally).

SAR I

Agreed, no more excuses for Adam Gase.

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9 hours ago, Aaron Hernandez said:

Darron Lee was a ******* safety with horrible coverage skill we drafted to play LBer. He was barely bigger than Adams

He should not have been drafted at all. He played football like old people f*ck.

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2 hours ago, Dunnie said:

I am so beat down by the baseless venom thrown this guys way that I almost want to see him traded and win a few rings elsewhere.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using JetNation.com mobile app
 

Really f*cling stupid isn't it? I'm convinced the fanbase is as much of the problem as the front office the past 50 years. A bunch of DUMB people.

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12 hours ago, Dunnie said:

Shall we compare more important stats such as tackles, tackles behind the line of scrimmage, sacks, forced fumbles , game changing plays???

 

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using JetNation.com mobile app

 

 

 

No. INT’s are everything. And Jamal Adams sucks because he doesn’t have lots of them. 

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7 hours ago, NYJ1 said:

So KC cut him?

Jets
On May 3, 2019, the Jets declined the fifth-year option on Lee's contract, making him a free agent in 2020.[48]

Kansas City ChiefsEdit

On May 15, 2019, the Jets traded Lee to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2020 sixth round draft pick.[49] Lee was a member of the Super Bowl LIV winning Chiefs, who defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-20, though he was inactive for the game itself.[50]

He played in 16 game’s and started 2.

31 tackles 9 assisted. That’s folks, is why Mike Maccagnan won’t get a job as a tea boy anymore in the NFL.

He was so bad that the Jets have what 6 ILB on the roster at the moment? - and All of them are better than Darron Lee.

 

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8 hours ago, BurnleyJet said:

Jets
On May 3, 2019, the Jets declined the fifth-year option on Lee's contract, making him a free agent in 2020.[48]

Kansas City ChiefsEdit

On May 15, 2019, the Jets traded Lee to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2020 sixth round draft pick.[49] Lee was a member of the Super Bowl LIV winning Chiefs, who defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-20, though he was inactive for the game itself.[50]

He played in 16 game’s and started 2.

31 tackles 9 assisted. That’s folks, is why Mike Maccagnan won’t get a job as a tea boy anymore in the NFL.

He was so bad that the Jets have what 6 ILB on the roster at the moment? - and All of them are better than Darron Lee.

 

So did Lee get a SB ring even though he was inactive? I hope not. Did the #6 pick turn out to be the one traded to Indy?

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2 hours ago, The Crusher said:

Actually I think that might have been the sarcasm. 

If they give the head coach no credit for the defense, they can't give the head coach criticism for the defense.  That's how it works.

SAR I

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