New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles addressed several injury concerns at OTA’s with the media. Here’s another juicy episode of Fact or Fiction.
As the New York Jets continue through their OTA’s, we’re starting to get a better feel for this year’s squad.
Head coach Todd Bowles addressed a lot of questions at his latest presser and separated fact from fiction (all quotes via the Jets Media Relations Department):
On whether Jordan Jenkins’ lack of participation in practice is related to an injury:
“No, he is running around. He is just nicked up so we held him out a little bit.”
Because Jenkins was “nicked up,” that created some more opportunities for Josh Martin and David Bass who started at outside linebacker.
Speaking of the linebacking corps, what is up with Lorenzo Mauldin?
He had a four-sack campaign in his rookie year, but hasn’t been able to build that into anything. Mauldin is currently running around in a shirt and shorts, so it’s hard to delineate how far in his rehab he truly is.
Few Jets fans realized that Marcus Maye got nicked up at the end of the season and had offseason surgery. He will be held out of the spring and hopefully be ready for training camp.
Time to jump over to the offensive side of the ball and there’s a laundry list of guys to get to in this respect.
Teddy Bridgewater is the guy every Jets fan is paying attention too. He hasn’t played a serious down of football in three years. Despite that factoid, Bowles says that Bridgewater has “shown no signs of weakness with the knee. He is moving around and taking every rep and every snap like everybody else. So, he is progressing and getting better.”
That’s great news for a team in the Jets who made a $500,000 guaranteed investment in Bridgewater, an ultimate win-win scenario for the green and white. If he can’t heal properly, you cut him and move on. If he heals and wins the job, you have a trade piece and insurance at quarterback.
Wide receivers though…
Although another argument is brewing and that’s do quarterbacks make wide receivers, or is it the other way around? Well, I guess we can ask Quincy Enunwa, who is recovering from offseason neck surgery which is always serious.
Due to the serious nature of the injury, Bowles and company are taking a cautious approach. Enunwa is running drills with no helmet on and is getting zero contact, which is for the best.
So this versatile talent will likely wait until Jets training camp to get any action in pads. But he’s not the only receiver battling injuries. Terrelle Pryor is recovering from an offseason ankle injury however he is expected to be ready for training camp as well.
While a third receiver getting some tender love and care is Devin Smith. Who is still on the roster despite his struggles. He’s an NFL player who can take the top off of a defense. Smith just needs to stay healthy and learn the playbook, which he can’t really do when he’s not healthy.
While the final player Jets fans are hoping to see something out of this season is Jordan Leggett.
From sources I’ve spoken with, he has looked phenomenal in a pair of shorts, but Bowles joked in the presser that he just wants to see that in pads. Durability is a concern and hopefully, they can figure that piece out especially with Austin Seferian-Jenkins gone.
