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It’s an old personnel trick.
On Tuesday, the Jets released wide receivers Josh Malone and Manasseh Bailey.
Why would they cut two players who were having strong camps on the cut-down to 80?
Simple. It creates the illusion with other teams that the Jets weren’t impressed with the players, and by promoting that imagery, it will make it easier to sign these guys to the practice squad next week.
Have seen this done a lot over the years in the NFL . . .
The Jets got a scare today in practice. Eagles guard Brandon Brooks, one of the NFL’s best, pulling left on a pass to the short left side, pancaked Quinnen Williams, driving him into the turf. Williams was slow to get up and walked slowly off the field, a little banged up from the encounter. Williams did eventually return.
The Jets’ defensive line is going to leave their two days of practice against the Eagles pretty sore. The Eagles starting offensive line is superb, and definitely got the better of the Jets’ defensive line in these practices, overall. Another pancake of note was when Eagle massive tackle Jordan Mailata pancaked end Bryce Huff on a nice run off left tackle. John Franklin-Myers was also the victim of a pancake block, this was doled out by Eagles Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson.
The Jets D-Linemen are going to need extra time in the ice tubs after these practices . . .
On a positive note for the Jets’ defensive line, Sheldon Rankins returned from a knee issue that kept him out of several practices, and flashed in very limited action, with a QB pressure, and a run stop on the line. If he can stay healthy, he’s really going to help the Jets this year. He has freakish quickness into gaps for a 300-pounder . . .
Getting back to pancakes, on an Eagles short TD run in a red zone drill, an interior lineman pancaked Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood.
Sherwood has a lot of potential, but why would you use such a small linebacker on the goal-line? Do you want more of a jumbo package down there? He’s listed at 6-1, 216.
Not sure if this idea to star two rookie safety-to-linebacker prospects, Sherwood and Hamsah Nasrileed, immediately, is ideal. Not only are they both inexperienced, they are both undersized. Start one, perhaps but two might be pushing it.
With Jarrad Davis out for two months, maybe they should start the beefier Blake Cashman at one spot next to C.J. Mosley, and either Sherwood or Nasrildeen at the other . . .
While Jets head coach Robert Saleh isn’t coaching one side of the ball, and is giving his assistant coaches plenty of room to coach their position groups without a lot of meddling, he does roam around the practice field, jumping in here and there, with coaching points for individual players.
An example of that today was after rookie cornerback Jason Pinnock got beat on a pass where he gave the receiver an easy release off the line.
After this play, Saleh spent some time with the Pitt-product to use this play as a teachable moment . . .
There was a Winnipeg Blue-Bombers scout at Jets practice today. It’s common to see CFL scouts at NFL training camp practices. NFL teams don’t feel threatened by this, because these scouts are looking at players who are at the very end of the roster, many of them having little chance of making it . . .
Don’t know the exact nature of the injury he suffered in Green Bay, but Denzel Mims was seen on the practice field with a compression sleeve covering his right leg, so it’s clearly something on his right leg. It’s not considered long-term, but perhaps the anti-Mims lobby can not use this against him claiming his injury prone . . .
August 25, 2021
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