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Neville Hewitt.. Re-UP or Let walk ? ? ?


kelly

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Before Joe Douglas can focus on who he plans on targeting in free agency come March, he’ll have a handful of in-house decisions to make.

The Jets have 25 players set to hit the open market this offseason. Some don’t figure to factor into New York’s plans for 2021, while others it’s safe to assume the Jets would like to keep around for a while. Either way, Douglas has a lot of work to do to put together a competitive roster for Robert Saleh.Neville Hewitt stepped into a prominent role in the middle of New York’s defense last season, starting all 16 games at inside linebacker. The 27-year-old took full advantage of the opportunity, setting a new career-high in tackles and doing his part to solidify Gang Green’s run defense.

Will Hewitt be back with the Jets and playing in Robert Saleh’s defense in 2021? Let’s evaluate the situation in Jets Wire’s latest free agent profile.

Pros of bringing him back - Hewitt stepped up for the Jets in a big way last season, assuming starting duties after C.J. Mosley’s decision to opt-out and turning in a career-year.The 27-year-old was a run-stopping machine for New York in 2020, totaling a career-high 134 tackles and tying a career-high of six TFLs in addition to four pass deflections, two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Hewitt also took on the role of defensive signal-caller after Avery Williamson’s trade to the Steelers and commanded the unit as if he had been doing it for years.The Jets didn’t have many bright spots on defense last season, but Hewitt was certainly one of them. He still has plenty of good football left in him and it could be worth New York’s while to see how he fares in Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich’s scheme.

Cons of bringing him back - As good as Hewitt was for the Jets in run support last season, he remained somewhat of a liability in coverage situations. Foot speed isn’t Hewitt’s strength and when asked to cover running backs, he got beat more often than not.Subbing Hewitt out in obvious passing situations and employing him solely against the run would eliminate any concerns about his coverage skills, but Saleh and Ulbrich might prefer a linebacker with a bit more versatility. Hewitt’s talent defending the run is undeniable, but his one-dimensional skill set could lead New York’s new regime to look elsewhere for help at the position.

The Verdict - Hewitt’s future with the Jets comes down to how much Saleh and Ulbrich value his run-stopping ability. If New York’s defensive staff is impressed with what Hewitt put on tape last season, odds are a reunion in 2021 will be pursued — even if it’s as a situational depth piece.

Another variable at play is Hewitt’s value on the open market. A linebacker-needy team could view the 27-year-old as a potential solution and make him an offer that the Jets aren’t willing to match or surpass. New York should be inclined to bring Hewitt back if he is deemed a fit in Saleh’s scheme, but if another team comes calling with an above market value offer, the Jets might be forced to scour free agency for his replacement.

>   https://jetswire.usatoday.com/lists/new-york-jets-2021-nfl-free-agency-neville-hewitt/

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Re up.
 

I’m actually surprised to read the post above about him being a liability in coverage. I remember him being pretty decent and even snagging a few picks in his time with us. When we hired Saleh I initially thought he would be a nice fit because of my impression of his play in coverage.
 

I like Hewitt as depth though  & especially so when you consider Cashman’s issues with injuries.

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5 hours ago, Nixhead said:

I would love to keep Hewitt but we also have Mosley who isn’t exactly a speedster and Jets are stuck with Mosley for the next year or 2 so if Hewitt gets too expensive I think the Jets could let him go but I would think the Jets want to try and keep him. 

Gonna be interesting to see how Saleh makes this defense work.  I think he’s going to use a hybrid scheme with lots nickel and dime packages like Rex did

 

We don’t have a 4-3 roster

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Hewitt signed on in 2018 as a "backup piece" but with injuries he's
stepped up and has shown to be a productive player who deserves to
be re-signed.  With us moving to a 4-3 Hewitt's spot will probably
shift to strong side LB (with Mosley coming back?).  A legitimate
question about Hewitt in that role is does he have enough range/speed
to cover 1/3 of the field?  Going from a 3-4 ILB to a 4-3 OLB is
different:

https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/3059880/neville-hewitt

The LB corps is going to be revamped because we'll be looking for 
players in the 230-240 pound range with speed

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12 hours ago, Patriot Killa said:

Re up.
 

I’m actually surprised to read the post above about him being a liability in coverage. I remember him being pretty decent and even snagging a few picks in his time with us. When we hired Saleh I initially thought he would be a nice fit because of my impression of his play in coverage.
 

I like Hewitt as depth though  & especially so when you consider Cashman’s issues with injuries.

IMO he is actually more then a liability in coverage, hes flat out awful.  

Great story, hardworking player, but I dont see how he fits in this defense where coverage ability will be so important.  If he wants to come back as a role player at $2 million or something like that, fine. But anything near starter money, he should be allowed to walk.

I think its better to invest the money in a true WILL LB and also look to address the position in the mid rounds of the draft.

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Jets have let too many players like this walk. 

Hewitt is versatile, hard working, special teams contributor, and the kind of player thats add positive character to a football team.

All of that, and he has gotten noticeably better ever sseason...He is the Brandon Bolden type that Belichick and Parcells like.

Keep.  Absolutely keep.

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5 hours ago, Philc1 said:

Gonna be interesting to see how Saleh makes this defense work.  I think he’s going to use a hybrid scheme with lots nickel and dime packages like Rex did

 

We don’t have a 4-3 roster

Exactly 3-4 linebackers are totally different than 4-3 linebackers. That being said I've always liked Hewitt's tenacity even if he's not the world's greatest athlete.

Also I wonder how they're going to handle the CJ Mosley situation. Without checking I'm pretty sure we're stuck with him no matter what right? We paid the guy a billion dollars and he played a quarter and a half. Smh!

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Keep Hewitt. Saleh and Joe keep talking about "Culture", a guy like Hewitt, who plays specials while Starting at MLB and playing well are rare examples of hard work and the type of player you want on the roster.  I like how he comports himself on the field as well. Dude is a Hardworking, productive pro.

 

Honestly, I'd keep Hewitt over Sandy Mangina Mosely.  

 

Hard worker who scraps for everything, and gave about 80% of what Mosely would give for pennies on the dollar,  vs a Malingering quitter who can't ******* STAND being a Jet?

 

**** it. Find a way to sh*tcan that albatross of a contract (Thanks again, Mac) and keep Hewitt. Mosely ain't much faster, if he is at all, and took 2 years off.  

 

Concentrate resources on edge. Hewitt will be fine for a couple of years at MLB/SLB

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11 hours ago, Nixhead said:

I would love to keep Hewitt but we also have Mosley who isn’t exactly a speedster and Jets are stuck with Mosley for the next year or 2 so if Hewitt gets too expensive I think the Jets could let him go but I would think the Jets want to try and keep him. 

Mosley retired from football 2 years ago

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1 hour ago, The Crusher said:

Truth. This will be a true test to see if Saleh can motivate guys to  buy in and play. 

agreed !  ?.. i think our new head-coach will be able to  " coach him up " and he will continue to play well for us:beer:

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18 hours ago, Greenbloodblitz said:

Exactly 3-4 linebackers are totally different than 4-3 linebackers. That being said I've always liked Hewitt's tenacity even if he's not the world's greatest athlete.

Also I wonder how they're going to handle the CJ Mosley situation. Without checking I'm pretty sure we're stuck with him no matter what right? We paid the guy a billion dollars and he played a quarter and a half. Smh!

We are stuck with CJ at least 1 more year. Maybe he can play MLB part time. Most likely Saleh uses a lot of 3 down linemen base.  We simply don’t have 4-3 personnel 

 

I’m confident Saleh will work this out.  He won’t be a stubborn idiot like Mangini  was using D-Rob as a full time Nose and Vilma as a ILB

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