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New York Jets training camp is almost in full swing but that doesn’t mean football players have been sitting idly by over summer break.
We’ve seen NFL trainers post videos of players like John Franklin-Myers and Elijah Moore working out this July and others have been doing so under the social media radar. One example of that is 2022 offensive line addition, Nate Herbig, who the Jets claimed off waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles in May.
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Herbig Boxing With Lane Johnson
Guard is one of the more unassuming positions in the NFL, so it’s not often that you hear about a backup guard over the summer. Having said that, Pro Football Network reporter Mike Kaye shed some light on what Herbig’s been up to over the offseason.
“Eagles G Jack Driscoll and Jets G Nate Herbig took up boxing while training with All-Pro RT Lane Johnson and trainer Gabe Rangel at The Barn this offseason,” he tweeted. “From pictures, Herbig looks leaner, Driscoll looks bigger. Both are competing for playing time this summer.”
Johnson, a former Eagles connection, is definitely a good veteran to try and emulate. He may be an offensive tackle by trade but he’s an All-Pro blocker either way. Herbig knows there’s very little downside to picking his brain.
Boxing may be an unorthodox training method but according to Kaye, it appears to be working. The reporter noted that Herbig “looks leaner,” and that sort of frame should work better in the Jets outside zone system that relies on athleticism and lateral agility.
Although Herbig has no clear path to start in 2022, he’s been projected to make the 53-man roster as a key backup by all of the NYJ beat reporters.
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Quality Depth Is Becoming a Reality
Jets general manager Joe Douglas always talked about the idea of building organizational depth in New York — something the Jets have not had in years. Herbig embodies that concept on the blocking unit.
Along with Dan Feeney, Gang Green has the interior offensive line covered behind starters Laken Tomlinson, Alijah Vera-Tucker and Connor McGovern. With five players of that caliber, you no longer have to worry about center or guard heading into the regular season.
Offensive tackle is a little different, as the Jets have very few reliable backups with experience behind Mekhi Becton and George Fant. If Douglas can add another veteran tackle before Week 1, this O-line may be the most stable it’s been since the days of D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold.
The top options in that regard are still free agents like Riley Reiff, Duane Brown and Jason Peters, but the NYJ GM would have to convince one of them to commit to a backup role in 2022. For career starters like the three above, that could be a bitter pill to swallow.
Considering Douglas was first hired and described as an offensive line aficionado who promised to protect ex-quarterback Sam Darnold — and now current QB Zach Wilson after failing the former — stability throughout two levels of the O-line would certainly be a job well done.
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