New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh and the rest of his coaching staff will not be attending the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this week, per reports.
Rather than getting an up-close look at some of the best prospects college football has to offer as they undergo physical and mental tests to help decipher their standing at the 2022 NFL Draft, Saleh and other Jets coaches will remain at team facilities in New Jersey to continue offseason preparations and video review.
Jets general manager Joe Douglas and the team’s scouting staff will be on the ground in Indianapolis to take in the draft talent. Saleh will be available to interview prospects over video conferencing.
[MORE JETS READING: 2022 NFL Mock Draft: 5 quarterbacks taken in first round]
The norm usually dictates that head coaches are on hand at the combine to complete as well-rounded of an assessment as possible for a prospect within an organization. That precedent could be changing, however.
Sean McVay of the Super Bowl-winning Los Angeles Rams and Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers also won’t be attending the combine.
The trio of coaches can not only use this week to assess what is being displayed in Indianapolis — using talent-evaluating resources at their disposal — but staying close to home allows them to continue working on assessing the upcoming free-agency class, as well.
Saleh does have an advantage, however, after he and his coaching staff worked with some of college’s top prospects at the Senior Bowl last month in Alabama.
This offseason is a massive one for the Jets, who are in the throes of a rebuild that — contrary to other attempts of the past — seems to be pointed in a promising direction.
They not only hold the No. 4 and No. 10 selections at the draft this year but they are expected to be sizable players within the free-agency market, as well.
