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Arguably the biggest question for the New York Jets heading into 2021, and there are a lot of them, is the status of linebacker CJ Mosley.
We haven’t seen him play football in essentially two years and he plays a pivotal position for this new-look Robert Saleh defense as the middle linebacker.
Last season he opted out due to the concerns around the COVID pandemic. Then prior to that he got banged up and only played in portions of two separate contests.
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Will He Be Ready to Go for Jets Camp and Beyond?
After two years away from the game of football, what kind of shape is the 29-year old linebacker?
“I’m 100 percent,” Mosley said to reporters during his open availability. “During the time away, I took care of my body and did the right things.”
He certainly looked the part sporting a slim figure “around 231 pounds” and Mosley said, “he hadn’t been that [weight] since he got to the NFL.” He later joked that his speed should be a “95” on the new Madden video game.
Part of the reason that Mosley decided to cut down on his weight is the schematic change from a 3-4 to a 4-3 base. Previously Mosley has been listed as heavy as 250 pounds, so this recent weight cut is a significant change.
So How Good Will He Be in 2021?
Mosley is like the fish story your dad always tells to friends at parties.
He was out on the open water reeling in big willie and it was five feet long. Then a week later he re-tells the story and the fish was 10 feet long. You get the point.
That’s the analogy I’d compare to Mosley’s performance in the 2019 Jets season opener vs the Buffalo Bills when the team opened up a 16-0 lead and how fans talk about it months and years later.
The veteran linebacker playing in his first game after signing a record-breaking $85M contract that seemed impossible to live up to, yet somehow he did, albeit for only a half of football.
Mosley flew sideline-to-sideline, registered a pick-six, and secured a fumble recovery. His performance was legendary and that is what Jets fans often harken back to when they think of what could be in 2021.
Although when Mosley was asked about that player from two years ago, he confidently said that is yesterday’s news:
“Honestly I feel like I’m a better player than what that game was. Honestly, I’ve been tired of seeing those highlights the last two years. So I’m ready to put some new film on tape. Whatever people saw on tape from back then, it’s going to be way better this year and for many years to come.”
The Jets can only hope what Mosley says is true, because if it is, this defense has a chance to be really special in the front seven.
The defensive line is as stacked as it has been in a long time, especially with the scheme change. That’ll open up lanes for the linebackers to make a ton of plays in both the running and passing game.
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