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After 2021, New York Jets fans don’t want to hear the word Achilles ever again.
First, a torn Achilles took out new edge rusher Carl Lawson for the entire season, which proved to be an untenable blow to the defense. Veteran safety Marcus Maye and rookie linebacker Jamien Sherwood soon joined the defensive end later in the year.
The injury losses were hard to stomach but the amount of torn Achilles tendons, in particular, was unbelievable. Maye is no longer with the organization and Lawson provided an update during a press conference on May 11, but no mention of Sherwood had been made until today.
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Training Camp a Possibility for Sherwood
The 2021 fifth-rounder out of Auburn began the season as the backup middle linebacker, a role C.J. Mosley commonly plays for the franchise. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich praised the cerebral aspect of Sherwood’s game during camp and it appeared the rookie was being groomed to replace the veteran down the line.
He even took on Mosley’s role during the vet’s Week 7 injury absence against the New England Patriots — but that’s when disaster struck down the youngster.
After looking a little raw on the field, Sherwood tore his Achilles against the Pats, ending his 2021 campaign and putting the early stages of 2022 in doubt. For a developmental prospect making the transition from safety to linebacker, this time on the sidelines can really stunt a player’s growth and it couldn’t have come at a worse moment for Sherwood.
Today, on May 24, there was some positive news from head coach Robert Saleh.
“Well Sherwood, he’s still recovering obviously from the Achilles but he’s out there,” voiced Saleh. “Excited to get him back, I believe for training camp.”
It wasn’t a ringing endorsement or a guarantee, but even the mention of training camp shows that Sherwood’s recovery is going well. Considering his injury occurred on October 24, training camp and even Week 1 were never a sure thing.
To be clear, they still aren’t a sure thing, but this update means that an early return is possible. Sherwood needs more reps at his new position and he cannot do that with an injury.
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Sherwood & Nasirildeen ‘Both Put on Weight’
Outside of learning the intricacies of their new positions, the other concern with Sherwood and fellow 2021 rookie Hamsah Nasirildeen was their weight. In year one, both players were pushed around by blockers and appeared too small to be linebackers at the NFL level.
Saleh had another positive update in this regard:
[Nasirildeen] is out there too, getting his work in. He looks good. It’s just a matter of trigger, for [Sherwood and Nasirildeen] it’s going to be when pads come on. They’re safeties converted to linebacker and I know they’ve both put on weight, they’ve solidified their bodies a little bit, so it’s just going to be a matter of taking these reps… but they’re good, they’re in good shape. Just got to continue getting these reps and seize their opportunities.
The Jets HC did admit that Sherwood would be “a little bit behind” because of the injury. The situation is reminiscent of safety Ashtyn Davis in 2021. After a lackluster rookie campaign, the developmental draft pick spent OTAs and training camp recovering from a late-season injury. In the end, he didn’t appear ready when he finally got back on the field.
Sherwood could end up suffering the same fate in year two. Saleh noted that the Auburn product is “wired-in” and “locked-in” mentally but unfortunately, classroom reps can only get you so far.
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