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New York Jets Training Camp Preview: Linebackers

By Kenneth Teape

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As July comes near an end, NFL football moves closer and closer. In the coming days, NFL training camps will begin as teams will begin preparing for the 2015 season. For teams like the New York Jets, training camp will be extremely important as they have a new regime in place with Todd Bowles replacing Rex Ryan as head coach. The Jets are also starting to get some expectations, as they made some big upgrades to their roster, adding weapons offensively and bringing back some familiar faces on the defensive side of the ball. All of this has caused some optimism for Gang Green, making them a team to keep an eye on throughout training camp.

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While there may not be many training camp battles per say, there are still plenty of things to keep an eye on. Here at Empire Writes Back we have you covered, as we will give a position by position, or unit by unit, preview leading up to training camp beginning July 29th in Florham Park, New Jersey. The seventh position we will be taking a look at will be linebacker.

Current Depth Chart:

Starters: David Harris (ILB), Demario Davis (ILB), Quinton Coples (OLB), Calvin Pace (OLB)
Backups: Jason Babin, Lorenzo Mauldin, Jamari Lattimore, Trevor Riley
Potential Cuts: Erin Henderson, Joe Mays, IK Enemkpali

More Position Previews: Quarterback, Running Back, Tight End, Wide Receiver, Offensive Line, Defensive Line

This is a group the Jets will have a couple of things to keep an eye on. First and foremost if if Quinton Coples has truly arrived. Last season he compiled 3.5 sacks the final three games of the season, taking over for the injured Muhammad Wilkerson. That helped him finish with a career-high 6.5 on the season. Those last 3.5 came when he was at defensive end though, and the Jets are hoping the production can carry over to this season and the linebacker position.

Coples is one of the most naturally gifted players on the Jets roster, and they are hoping that he continues developing into a vaunted pass rusher they know he is capable of. He is in the process of playing for a new contract, as his fifth-year option was picked up for 2016 and he needs to continue showing improvement to warrant a long-term contract. This is a make-or-break season for Coples, who is entering his third season as a linebacker and it is about time his play finally quiets the critics and his potential shows through.

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The reason the Jets need Coples to continue breaking through as a pass rusher is because of the declining production of two other players, Calvin Pace and Jason Babin. They are the two oldest players on the roster, and it shows in their play. Last season Pace’s sack production was cut in half, as he managed to compile only five last season after getting 10 in 2013. That was much better than Babin, who managed only two in more than 400 defensive snaps despite being on the roster as a situational pass rusher.

It is hard to imagine the Jets keeping both of these elder statesmen, as their declining play is concerning. The one thing Pace has working for him at least is that he has been solid in stopping the run, which at least gives him a role on early downs. Both will be fighting for a roster spot and snaps during training camp.

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That can all change though if one of the younger players don’t step up. Mauldin looks like the guy who will do it of the group. He was a third-round pick this season, and has the size, energy and athleticism to make a difference right away. There could be a lot of growing pains at the start, but if Mauldin is showing a grasp of the schemes, he will push both players for playing time, and could potentially be the second starting outside linebacker.

The other player to keep an eye is Erin Henderson. He suffered from substance abuse, and was looking for another chance. The Jets are giving him that chance, and at 29-years old this could be his last one. He was very good in 2013 before his career was derailed, and could really help the Jets as a veteran presence behind David Harris and Demario Davis. He will be someone people will be rooting to succeed both on and off the field.

Speaking of Harris and Davis, they are the linchpins of this unit. That is evident in the amount of snaps they have played the last three seasons, as they rank third and sixth in the NFL for snaps at inside linebacker over that time span with 2,016 and 1,961 respectively. Those are numbers that could drop though, as it remains to be seen if Todd Bowles will use them in the same style that Rex Ryan did. Even if their roles change a little, they will still be the leaders of the linebacking core.

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This unit is solid, but lacks a standout player. They are hoping that Coples or Davis can become that player, and if they do, it will catapulte the unit as a whole to higher levels. It says a lot about the Jets’ defense that this unit is arguably the weakest on the defensive side of the ball.

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