Cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and defensive end Jermaine Johnson possess the talent to catapult the Jets’ defense out of the NFL basement.
But head coach Robert Saleh understands Gardner and Johnson are NFL infants and rookie development varies. Some first-year players become Pro Bowl and All-Pro caliber in Year 1 while others progress slower before becoming stars.
“I’m not expecting anything from the guys except for just stepping on the field and doing your absolute best. I know it’s cliche, but it’s the truth,” Saleh said Friday on Day 1 of the Jets’ rookie minicamp. “Rookies, they cook at their own rate. They evolve and become competitors at different rates, all over the place. Some guys like a [Bengals] Jamar Chase show up Dau 1, and they are who they are. And we got guys who take three, four years. So, the expectation for them is to step on the field, lock in, do your absolute best every day, absorb all the reps that you’re getting, learn from your mistakes and see how much better you can get.”
Saleh isn’t forecasting elite production from the No. 4 and No. 26 overall picks in last week’s draft out the gate, but the pairing fills two gaping needs for the Jets.
Even through the growing pains, Gardner’s ability to thrive in press man coverage should help the Jets on third downs, something the Jets cornerbacks struggled badly in during last season’s 4-13 campaign.
And even though Gardner didn’t play a lot of zone coverage in college at Cincinnati, Saleh doesn’t anticipate that being an issue for his rookie CB because of his mental acumen which translates well in zone coverage.
“You can see that he’s an outside-the-box thinker, you can see he’s got great vision on the field,” Saleh said. “He’s a tremendous communicator. He can diagnose a play before it ever snaps. Sauce has a tremendous mental makeup to him that allows him to see the game differently than most players. … Our zone defenses from all corners are pretty simple. Just give up guys behind you.”
The talent of Gardner will raise the play of the Jets’ secondary, but coverage without any pass rusher is almost futile.
So the addition of Johnson was necessary to improve the defensive line, which suffered injuries and failed to generate a pass rush throughout the season as they finished with just 33 sacks.
But even without the production in 2021, Johnson is still joining a talented defensive line that features Quinnen Williams, John Franklin-Myers, Sheldon Rankins and Carl Lawson (who’s returning from a torn Achilles).
Franklin-Myers and Williams produced solid seasons. And Lawson looked like the Jets’ best player, destroying offensive lineman in the pass and run game throughout training camp, prior to his season-ending injury.
With Lawson returning along with the current talent, that group should pose an easier transition for Johnson as he’ll be presented with more one-on-one opportunities.
“So just to have that veteran presence for him will make it easier,” Saleh said. “Football is still a one-on-one game, it doesn’t matter if you have an all-star lineup, if you’re in a one-on-one and you can’t win, then it doesn’t matter. So having the presence of those guys creates more one-on-ones. It’s a matter of learning the game and understanding how to win those one-on-ones that will make the difference for him.”
Jets release polarizing guard Greg Van Roten
Greg Van Roten spent two years with the Jets and started 23 games after signing a three-year deal for $10.5 million with $3.25 million guaranteed in 2020 after playing with the Panthers from 2017-2019.
Van Roten started 13 games and was solid in his first year with the Jets, as he only allowed 27 pressures according to Pro Football Focus.
But in 2021, Van Roten’s play fell off dramatically.
Van Roten began the year as a starter, but had issues in pass and run blocking, which led to multiple moments when offensive drives were ruined because of his struggles. He started nine games and allowed 32 pressures with three sacks according to PFF.
A large section of the Jets fan base was angered by Van Roten after the Week 3 press conference following a loss to the Broncos.
He accurately critiqued rookie Zach Wilson about his persistence to hold the ball, which led to unnecessary sacks. He believed Wilson needed to get rid of the ball instead of always fighting to keep every play alive because NFL defenses were too good.
Van Roten admitted the offensive line needed to do better in protecting Wilson and it started with them. But those comments angered the fan base.
Van Roten continued struggling on the field. And when the Jets traded former tight end Dan Brown to the Chiefs for offensive guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif on Nov. 2, it was the beginning of the end for Van Roten. He was benched in Week 11 for Duvernay-Tardif and only played in spot duty for injured lineman in the Eagles and Jaguars matchup.
The Jets claimed former backup Eagles offensive guard Nate Herbig off of waivers on Thursday, which made Van Roten expendable. Herbig played three seasons and started 17 games with the Eagles before being let go after the draft.
Van Roten’s release frees up $3.5 million in cap space for the Jets.
Numbers for the rookies
The Jets announced their numbers for their 2022 rookie class.
Cornerback Ahmad Gardner netted No. 20, wide receiver Garrett Wilson picked No. 17, running back Breece Hall has No. 35, and defensive end Jermaine Johnson plucked No. 52.
Gardner hinted that it’s “kind of likely,” he will change his number though.
The rest of the draft class rounds out with offensive tackle Max Mitchell selecting No. 61, defensive end Micheal Clemons picking No. 72, and tight end Jeremy Ruckert sporting No. 89.
None of the draft picks have the numbers they wore in college.
Gardner rocked No. 1 and No. 12 during his time at Cincinnati. Wilson sported No. 5 at Ohio State while Johnson wore No. 11 during his last year at Florida State. Hall chose No. 28 at Iowa State before running for 50 touchdowns in his college career.
Ruckert wore No. 88 at Ohio State, Mitchell had No. 74 at Louisiana and Clemons wore No. 2 at Texas A&M.
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