The Jets have already lost Carl Lawson for the season with a torn Achilles, and now it looks like their other top free agent signing in defense, linebacker Jarrad Davis, will be out for about two months with an ankle injury.
Davis was carted off the field during Saturday’s preseason in over the Packers, and according to head coach Robert Saleh, the Jets are shooting for him to return around their bye week, which comes after their October 10 game against the Falcons in London.
"It’s going to take him into the season but we expect him back sometime around the bye week," Saleh said Monday. “I feel terrible for the two that are injured. Talked about it after the game, Jarrad has been nothing but a professional since he’s walked in here. Same thing with Carl. The amount of work that they’ve put in, how much they’ve studied, how much they’ve bought into our scheme and the way we’re trying to get things done. And then for them to lose part of their season, and Carl’s case all of his season, I feel sick for them.”
That bye is in Week 6, so the Jets are looking at five games or so, at least, without Davis – but Saleh has high hopes that rookie backer Jamien Sherwood can step into Davis’ spot next to C.J. Mosley.
"Sherwood has been doing a really nice job," Saleh said. "We’re still expecting him to slide in and pick up where Jarrad left off. He’s been having a really nice camp and it’s an opportunity for him to step in and take on a bigger role. Sherwood has a tremendous mindset to him. He’s extremely smart, he’s got great command of the playbook already. He's got respect of his peers.”
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Sherwood, a fifth-round pick, was a safety at Auburn, but he has impressed his head coach in camp so far – even drawing a bit of a comparison to another player in a similar spot Saleh worked with in San Francisco.
"Fred Warner played nickel in college and was maybe 220, 225 pounds his rookie year. Threw him in there at MIKE linebacker, started day one and he took off,” Saleh said. “When we drafted [Sherwood] – I want to make sure I’m saying this right, I’m not comparing him to Fred, he’s got a long way to go, [but] we saw Fred Warner. There’s going to be some hiccups along the way but we feel with reps he’s only going to get better.”
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