Doug Marrone will head to East Rutherford on Sunday as the Jaguars’ head coach, but he could have just as easily been leading the Jets this weekend, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com and Brian Costello of the New York Post detail. After Marrone opted out of his Bills contract following the 2014 campaign, Marrone was considered the favorite for the Gang Green job, especially given that former NFL general manager and Jets consultant Charley Casserly had strong ties to Marrone. New York ultimately chose Todd Bowles, however, and Marrone was hired as Jacksonville’s offense line coach before being promoted to head coach midway through the 2016 season.
Here’s more from New York:
- After placing him on injured reserve Wednesday, the Jets could potentially bring wide receiver Charone Peake off IR later this year, as Costello tweets. Peake is dealing with a high ankle sprain, which is typically a four-to-six week injury. The NFL’s IR/return rules stipulate an eight-week minimum absence, so that timeline should give Peake enough time to recover. Peake, a seventh-round pick in 2016 who managed 19 receptions during his rookie campaign, will be eligible to return to the field in Week 12 when the Jets take on the Panthers.
- Veteran running back Matt Forte has “no idea” if he’ll be available for the Jets in Week 4 as he works through a turf toe injury, as Cimini writes in a separate piece. Bowles was also murky as to Forte’s status for this weekend, indicating that the 31-year-old back could be require a week of recovery time. If Forte can’t go, New York will lean on Bilal Powell — who has played only nine fewer offensive snaps that Forte in 2017 — rookie Elijah McGuire, and the newly-signed Travaris Cadet to handle the running game.
- In case you missed it, free agent linebacker Erin Henderson is suing the Jets for “wrongful termination and disability discrimination” and seeking $3.3MM in compensatory damages.
So the Bills and Jets nearly traded head coaches