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The Jets signed veteran offensive tackle Dennis Kelly to their practice squad today.
He played for Jets’ offensive line coach Keith Carter in Tennessee from 2018-20.
He can play right or left tackle, but his better position is on the right side. He has 54 NFL career starts, so if he’s forced to play, this isn’t his first rodeo.
Aside from losing Alijah Vera Tucker to a season-ending achilles injury, Mekhi Becton is still working through the reality of his twice repaired right knee. He had to leave the Jets-Broncos game twice due to knee discomfort. To his credit, he came back both times.
Perhaps the Jets should consider, once Duane Brown returns, having him spell Becton every few series to cut back on his reps on his surgical knee.
But Kelly is a smart asset to add for Gang Green. Carter loves him. He’s a good system fit, and while he’s not elite, when he’s had to play over the years, he’s not spectacular, but generally solid. Why do you think he’s now in his 11th season and still in the league at 33? He knows what he’s doing out there . . .
The Jets need to fix this against Philadelphia, or they aren’t going to have much of a chance.
Now four games in a row they have struggled against the run.
They gave up 134 rushing yards to Dallas, 157 to New England, 204 to Kansas City and 139 to Denver.
The Eagles have a great offensive line, and love to run the ball, not just with their running backs, but with dynamic running QB Jalen Hurts.
Here are a few things that need to improve:
We already talked about Quinnen Williams, who is a dynamic inside pass rusher, but needs to do a little more against the run.
Their ends need to set stronger edges.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, who is very involved with the offense, will present a lot of “eye candy” with tons of motion, and misdirection. The Jets must read their keys and not go flying out of position too much, In other words, as they say in the football world, “Don’t go for the cheese.”
Also, when it comes to dealing with Hurts, the Jets must avoid a problem in recent weeks, where pass rushers shoot too far upfield, leaving big running lanes for opposing quarterbacks to scramble. You saw both Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson take advantage of guys running past the QB.
But if this Jets’ run defense trend we’ve seen over the last month, continues against the Eagles, it will be very hard for them to win this game . . .
Don’t be shocked if there is an Eagles fan takeover at MetLife on Sunday.
Obviously, Philly is just two hours away, so it’s an easy trip for their fans. And they also have fans in parts of New Jersey even closer than two hours.
This isn’t meant to be any kind of shot at Jets fans. Not at all. With the recession, if I were a season ticket holder, I’d probably look to make some quality coin on the secondary market on tickets, especially with Aaron Rodgers out for the regular season.
October 11, 2023
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