FLORHAM PARK — It’s only May and the New York Jets have already made their fans nervous about the health of their new franchise quarterback.
On the second day of OTAs Tuesday afternoon, the team continued the next stage of offseason activities in preparation for training camp.
It’s always hard to gauge where a team is at this early in the process, but there were still plenty of takeaways from 1Jets Drive.
Let’s get to them:
Rodgers Injury?
A packed media room was in attendance to see the first public practice for Aaron Rodgers.
Turns out there was little practicing done from the future Hall-of-Famer.
Rodgers took part in the team stretch period but spent the rest of practice off to the side without his helmet. There’s little to be worried about while we’re still in May but Rodgers has had ankle issues before and keeping him healthy is the team’s top priority.
While there is little to no-concern right now, it’s still something to monitor.
Zach Wilson shines
Many analysts and fans believed that with Rodgers in the fold, it was only a matter of time before former second-overall pick Zach Wilson was moved.
The former BYU standout showed Tuesday why getting experience under a former MVP could be extremely beneficial for him though.
Wilson went 9/10 on seven-on-seven drills and read the secondary beautifully. The highlights came with a deep ball to Garrett Wilson in a right window, as well as middle-of-the-field throws to Irvin Charles and Jeremy Ruckert.
It was the kind of practice that showed why the team still had plenty of confidence in the former second-overall pick.
Jermaine Johnson excels
Wilson wasn’t the only former first-round pick that shined on day two. Last year’s first-round end, Jermaine Johnson dominated defensive line drills and showed why the team is high on him going into year two.
Johnson beat current first-round pick Will McDonald on a drill that got the entire group fired up and showed why his athleticism is a huge commodity for this team.
Additional Injury Updates
Rodgers’ injury status will be talked about a lot through the next few weeks but he wasn’t the only player dealing with an injury.
Mekhi Becton and Breece Hall did not participate in practice as part of the current rehab process set out by the Jets coaching staff.
Alijah Vera-Tucker did participate but receiver Allen Lazard had to walk off the field under his own power after seven-on-seven due to an undisclosed injury.
It’s far too early to be concerned with any of these players but it’s something to keep an eye on as the franchise amps up their workouts.
7-on-7 standouts
Zach Wilson was the clear winner for the Jets today when the Jets OTA Takeaways: Rodgers suffers apparent injury, secondary shinescompetition began. Other top players like Garrett Wilson and Jeremy Ruckert also performed nicely.
While the offense won seven-on-seven drills in the middle of the field, the defense won when the drill shifted to the red zone. Sixth-round pick Zaire Barnes picked off a pass midway through the drill and had the entire defense jumping around.
Claude Cherelus and Brandin Echols also had near-picks in the period as well.
It should be known that Sauce Gardner did not take part in the red zone drills.
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