Content available exclusively for subscribers
It’s hard for long shots to make NFL teams because most roster spots are decided before camp starts, but a long shot who clearly looks like he can play in the league is defensive tackle Jack Heflin.
You watch him, in the limited reps he gets, and he clearly knows what he’s going out there.
And there is a good reason for that. This isn’t his first rodeo. He is 28 years old, and has bounced around on several NFL practice squads the last five seasons, along with playing one season in the XFL (Houston Roughnecks) and making first-team All-XFL.
The Iowa product via Northern Illinois is a smart, tough player with good technique, and on Tuesday had a nice run stop on the line on RB Chip Trayanum.
It’s hard to see him making the opening day roster with most sports decided already, but he certainly looks like a guy who be positioning himself for another practice-squad opportunity.
But watching him, if you ever needed to call this guy up from the practice squad due to injuries, he looks like somebody who would do a solid job . . .
Speaking of a practice squad candidate, rookie free agent tight end Chase Curtis certainly looks like one.
He doesn’t get a ton of reps, but when he does, he seems to take advantage of them, like on Tuesday when he beat rookie safety V.J. Payne on a crossing route for a nice gain.
Curtis is a very mature rookie, already 26-years-old. Not only did he get off to a late start in college football, after first trying his hand at baseball on the JUCO level, but after that, he spent six seasons on the TCU football team with all the COVID craziness extending college careers.
He is listed at 6-5, 235, but I don’t think that weight is accurate. Like I have mentioned before, a lot of these roster sizes are outdated, and that isn’t a shot at the Jets – it goes on with all the teams. They just go with old weights, sometimes from college.
He looks closer to 250 now.
Look, with limited reps in these practices, all you can do is take advantage of the ones you get, and Curtis seems to be doing that . . .
Early in Tuesday’s practice, rookie WR Omar Cooper caught a bubble screen and ran for a nice gain, but linebacker Kiko Mauigoa punched the ball out downfield, and it was recovered by the defense.
This was good hustle by the second-year linebacker, who also showed good strength in jarring the ball loose.
But then on the next play, he was beat on a quick out from Geno Smith to TE Jelani Woods, late getting over. Then a couple of plays later, QB Cade Klubnik hit Jeremy Ruckert on a crossing route, and it seemed like Mauigoa might have been late getting over. Then shortly after that, Klubnik hit Ruckert on the left side, and the linebacker seemed late getting over again.
Mauigoa gives you everything he’s got. He is tough as boot leather and is a big-time hitter, and can stop the run well, but he continues to be a tick late reacting in pass coverage.
When Mauigoa was coming out of Miami, NFL Network draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote about him, “He’s too limited for third-down duties as a pro, so he’ll have to prove he’s a capable backup as a two-down run thumper and quality special-teams player.”
Perhaps that is the case – we shall see . . .
While Darren Mougey did a lot of good things in the off-season, improving the Jets’ roster and depth chart, some might wonder why the team didn’t make a stronger effort to acquire an elite coverage linebacker in free agency or the draft.
Demario Davis will lead the linebacker core, and is servicable in coverage, but at 37, you can’t expect him to be Lavonte David. So you could argue it’s essential to team him with a top-shelf coverage player at the other ILB position.
They seem intent of rolling it back with Jamien Sherwood starting next to Davis. Still, he’s coming off a bad season in pass coverage, and it might be revisionist history to say he was a difference-maker in coverage even before last season.
He’s had a quiet camp in pass coverage. He gives you everything he’s got, but, like Mauigoa, perhaps his coverage instincts are average. Effort and instincts are two different things.
If you have noticed from training camp coverage, tight ends have been very active in the passing game so far in camp, guys like Mason Taylor, Jeremy Ruckert and Woods.
Well linebackers are often tasked with covering these guys.
Linebacker pass coverage has been underwhelming so far . . .
Armond Membou looks like he’s going to be a good one.
One of the better blocks on Tuesday was Membou pushing DT David Onyemata left, and Breece Hall cutting back to the right, into the gap the tackle created, on what looked like a zone running play, and the runner had a nice gain.
He’s also creating a big challenge for David Bailey, who is very good at dipping under tall tackles, but with Membou plays with such a lower pad level and center of gravity, the rookie edge has had a hard time getting under him.
August 5, 2026
Premium will return by 9:30 pm (or sooner) on Thursday.
