Tony Adams

Jets Rumors: Rodgers, Adams, Becton

No matter who’s calling the offense, a team with Aaron Rodgers behind center is going to be influenced by his presence. The Jets appear to be no different as new wide receiver Allen Lazard called the Jets’ system “the Aaron Rodgers offense.” Rodgers backed off that claim a bit in a press conference a couple weeks ago, but he clearly has some influence.

“Well, listen, I’m not going to say it’s ‘my’ offense,” Rodgers told the media. “It’s one I’ve had success in, for sure, but back in 2020, it was a conglomeration of what Matt (LaFleur) wanted to run, what (Nathaniel Hackett) had run in the past, and what I had run in the past. So, we just fit together. And this is kind of an offshoot of that with maybe a little more West Coast flavor to it. But this is really Hackett’s offense that I’ve been able to collaborate with him on. And I love it, but there is a lot of teaching, for sure.”

LaFleur was calling plays as head coach during the period Rodgers was referring to, during which he won back-to-back MVP awards. Hackett was the offensive coordinator, though, at the time. Now reunited with Hackett, Rodgers and his old coordinator appear to be picking up where they left off, collaborating on an offense that has won awards in the past.

Here are a few other rumors surrounding Gang Green in training camp:

  • The Jets have a potential starter breaking out in training camp as Tony Adams makes a push to start at free safety. An undrafted rookie out of Illinois last year, Adams surprised when he made the roster in 2022. A year later, he’s on track to start, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. Last year Lamarcus Joyner spent most of the season starting next to Jordan Whitehead but didn’t do much to impress at the position. After free agent addition Chuck Clark tore his ACL, a starting spot opened up in the defensive backfield. New York signed free agent Adrian Amos as an immediate remedy to the loss of Clark, but it appears that Adams is well on his way to beating him out for the starting job at free safety to start 2023.
  •  In a report this week, Costello’s colleague at the Post, Ryan Dunleavy, speculated that offensive tackle Mekhi Becton is starting to veer further from “fighting for a starting job” and closer to “fighting for a roster spot.” He may have confirmed as much by changing his stance on sticking at left tackle and allowing some run at right tackle, where the Jets are looking for a starter. He would almost certainly be second string behind free agent addition Billy Turner on the left side of the line, but he has a chance to compete for the job on the right side. Dunleavy claimed that Becton was scheduled to get about 20-25 snaps in the Hall of Fame game this past week and that, if he struggled, New York might begin to wonder just how many tackles they can keep on the roster. Unfortunately, Becton left the game after only seven snaps, citing caution while playing on turf. If he can earn a starting spot through the rest of the preseason, Becton should have a chance to prove he’s finally healthy and ready to contribute. If not, he may find himself looking for a new team.

Jets Cut Roster Down To 53

The Jets got a head start on reducing the roster yesterday, finishing the job with a number of moves today. Here are those moves that brought them down to 53 players:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on reserve/injured:

New York has done a good job with their rookie class with every drafted rookie making the final 53. The Jets even were able to find spots on the roster for two of the six undrafted free agents they signed. Running back Zonovan Knight and safety Tony Adams will start the season on the roster after going undrafted out of NC State and Illinois, respectively.

The Jets will enter the season with three quarterbacks on the roster as second-year quarterback Zach Wilson will be backed up by veterans Joe Flacco and Mike White.

Lawrence Cager returned this offseason to the team that signed him after going undrafted out of Georgia in 2020. After spending two seasons attempting to make rosters as a wide receiver, the 6-foot-5 Cager bulked up in an attempt to transition to tight end. It appears that the position change is working so far as Cager will start the season on an active roster for the first time in his career.

New York will have a chance to make moves necessary to form their 16-man practice squad tomorrow. Any players cut today who have not vested will have to clear waivers before returning to the Jets.

Dolphins Cut Kiko Alonso

The Dolphins cut Kiko Alonso en route to reaching the 53-man max. Both moves were rumored this week, but the Fins were waiting to see if they could arrange a trade for the linebackers before letting them go.

Alonso requested a trade during training camp when he realized that he would be squeezed out of the Dolphins’ plans in one fashion or another. New coach Brian Flores is overseeing a defensive overhaul and he didn’t have much use for the veteran, despite his three years of starting experience in Miami. Originally drafted by the Bills in the second-round back in 2013, Alonso won’t play out the two years left on his four-year, $28.9MM deal.

Here are the other moves made by Miami to make their roster kosher by Week 1:

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/16/19

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Baltimore Ravens

  • Signed: G R.J. Prince
  • Waived: G Kofi Amichia, TE Nick Keizer

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: D’Ernest Johnson
  • Waived: RB L.J. Scott

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

  • Waived: WR Justin Sumpter

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed: WR Bryant Mitchell
  • Waived: LS Dan Godsil

Tennessee Titans

NFL Workout Updates: 9/10/18

Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans 

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Oakland Raiders

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Jaguars Trim Roster To 53

The Jaguars were the latest team to announce their full slate of roster cuts, getting down to the required 53 players. Here are the moves:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Placed on injured reserve:

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/23/18

Here are Monday’s minor moves.

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: TE Chris Bazile

Chicago Bears

  • Signed: LB Ro’Derrick Hoskins
  • Waived: OL Jerami Hall

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Signed: OL Tony Adams
  • Waived/Injured: OL Sean Hickey

New England Patriots

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jaguars Sign 13 UDFAs

The Jaguars have signed the following 13 undrafted free agents:

Meeks skipped his senior season at Stanford with the belief that he would be a Day 3 draft pick. That call never came, so he’ll have to scrap for his opportunity to make the Jaguars’ final cut. Lazard also seemed to have a decent chance at getting drafted after setting Iowa State records with 231 passes and 3,218 yards over the course of his collegiate career.

The Jaguars now have have one open spot on their 89-man roster after releasing wide receiver Jaelen Strong and punter Brad Nortman.