The New York Jets unofficially welcomed back Carl Lawson during the Miami Dolphins game at home in Week 5.
It is unofficially because technically he has been on the roster and has been playing since Week 1. However, this outing versus the Dolphins was a coming-out party of sorts.
Despite that breakout performance, head coach Robert Saleh had a very scary warning to issue to the rest of the league during his weekly presser on Monday, October 10.
Robert Saleh Delivers Strong Praise for Jets’ Carl Lawson
Saleh stepped to the podium and delivered a strong vote of confidence for what is next for Lawson:
“Yeah he has put together a couple of good ones, still think he’s got more to go too. Coming back from an Achilles injury, I don’t think people realize how hard that is. He went two years without football and he is slowly stacking up good days. [Lawson] is getting faster and his GPS numbers are getting faster. I’m really pumped up for him. He is gaining confidence and he’s getting stronger every week. So looking forward to him having continued growth and the production for him is going to continue to follow.”
#Jets HC Robert Saleh just sent out a scary warning to the rest of the #NFL saying he believes EDGE Carl Lawson (@carllawson55) has another gear he can reach despite his breakout performance, ‘he’s gaining confidence’ 😳: 🎥 @nyjets #TakeFlight @AuburnFootball
That should be a scary thought for the rest of the league when you consider what he just accomplished versus the Dolphins over the weekend.
Lawson had two tackles, one of those solo, registered a sack, and collected seven quarterback hits, per ESPN.
The Jets as a team had 16 quarterback hits during the game and Lawson accounted for seven of those. According to Dennis Waszak Jr that is the most in a game by a Jets player in over 52 years.
When you take a step back and evaluate his quarterback hits so far this season they rank among the best in the NFL. Specifically, Lawson is second in the league with 14 of them only behind San Francisco 49ers superstar Nick Bosa and just ahead of Dallas Cowboys stud Micah Parsons (12).
Some pretty elite company if you ask me.
If Lawson just provided that production and Saleh truly rbelieves he is only scratching the surface, just imagine where he will be in the coming weeks.
Carl Lawson and Quinnen Williams Are Who We Thought They Were
There was a lot of flak thrown around last year about the Jets’ supposed strength on the defensive line.
The Jets signed Lawson to a monster three-year deal for $45 million and he was supposed to be the straw that stirred the drink. However, he got hurt during the offseason and we never got to see that translate to the football field.
In his stead, former first-rounder Quinnen Williams was expected to take the next step in his development. While he was a good player, the former Alabama star hadn’t lived up to the hype as the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL draft.
Although the thought behind signing Lawson was that he would be a game-wrecker and that would rub off on Williams.
We didn’t see that last year due to injury but fast forward a year later and they are who we thought they were.
As Lawson has started to dominate that has opened up opportunities for Williams and vice-versa. Both are perfect complements to one another and that has directly led to the revitalization of this Jets franchise.
If the pair can keep playing like this on the defensive side of the ball, the sky is the limit for the Jets in 2022.
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Robert Saleh Issues Scary Warning About Jets DL Carl Lawson