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New Jets defensive tackle Khalen Saunders is a massive human being.
Not tall, but massive.
He is 6-0, 324 pounds
I am 6-0, 180.
I can’t even imagine playing sports carrying 160 more pounds than I carry.
Not that I’m an athlete, but it’s amazing to me a guy can be athletic at those proportions.
“Better athletic ability than expected with tight-quarter twitch,” wrote NFL Network draft analyst Lance Zeirlein. “Feet to make sudden attacks to the blocker’s edge or spin out of blocks. Active defensive lineman with an impressive combination of agility and athletic ability.”
Saunders was picked in the third round by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019, where he spent four seasons and won two rings. He spent two years in New Orleans, and then was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars on August 17 for center Luke Fortner.
He turned out to be a bad fit with the Jaguars, was waived November 13, and signed with the Jets.
While his conditioning can clearly use some work, the Jets aren’t going to ask him to play a lot of plays, and with this guy, who is built like the trunk of a redwood, can help them plug up their interior run defense issues, spelling the starters, maybe playing 7, 8 plays . . .
Speaking of defensive linemen, had a chance today to ask a couple of defensive linemen about dealing with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry.
Defensive tackle Jowon Briggs came to the Jets from the Cleveland in an August trade, so he had experience preparing for these guys from his old division.
Briggs on how best to deal with Jackson from a defensive line standpoint
“Just being really smart in your rush lanes on pass plays,” Brings said. “And obviously he has a run component in with his read [option]. We had a great week of prep and have done a good job dissecting what they’ve got going on especially with the one read and trap plays.”
Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson, who got his first career sack against Jackson, feels he really need to be disciplined with your rushes and don’t shoot up field too far and give the QB easy exit lands.
“Some people like to do something called ‘cage’ and stay in front on him as a defensive lineman,” Johnson said.
Aside from building a “cage” upfront he can’t escape from Johnson added: “When you are facing a mobile qaurterback like Lamar it’s all about changing your stride and coming in under control – a lot of times when he’s shaking guys, they are a little out of control, not great pad level – really fundamental things like that are on my mind.”
With Henry, Briggs knows you got to stop him in his first few steps – you don’t want the 6-3, 250-pound back gathering a head of steam and becoming like a runaway freight train. You can get let his feet goinga and building up momentum
“There have been studies done (about) getting him to check his feet,” Briggs said. “It’s all about getting knockback up front and being where you need to be. Once we get knockback up front, and we are where we need to be we can create negative plays and make him check his feet.”
As Dan Patrick always used to say on Sportscenter about dealing with superstar players – “You can’t stop them, you can only hope to contain them,” so it will be interesting to see if the Jets plan to “contain Jackson and Henry is effective on Sunday . . .
Aside from dealing with great players, another challenge for the Jets on Sunday is dealing with a great crowd at M&T Bank Stadium, one of the loudest stadiums in the league.
Jets practice squad receiver Trenton Irvin, who played five years in Cincinnati, a division foe to Baltimore, knows very well what that stadium is like for an opposing offense trying to communicate.
“That stadium rocks,” Irvin told Jets Confidential. “They really support the Ravens.”
He said one of the keys for offensive plays to know the playbook so well that you can pick up the play just on a few words from the call, because you probably aren’t going to hear all of them . . .
The Jets will get back starting cornerback AZ Thomas from a concussion. He missed the team’s last game in New England. This will allow Jarvis Brownlee (pictured above) to move back to the slot, a better position for him than outside corner. He doesn’t have the speed or size to thrive on the outside, and seems like a much better fit in slot . . .
November 20, 2025
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