On Monday morning, the New York Jets practiced in pads for the first time this season at the start of their second week of training camp in Florham Park, New Jersey.
As with any camp practice, it should be taken into account that things can change relatively quickly when it comes to observations and notes. The offense can excel one day, while the next day is the exact opposite.
That’s precisely what happened with Gang Green on Monday.
Jets Practice Observations for Monday, July 29th
Attire
It was the first fully-padded practice of training camp for the Jets in Florham Park.
Attendance
The following players were absent from practice:
- WR Xavier Gipson (leg)
- C Jake Hanson (leg)
- CB Brandin Echols (rib)
- WR Mike Williams (PUP List)
- FB Nick Bawden (PUP List)
- QB Jordan Travis (NFI)
- EDGE Haason Reddick (holdout)
Williams, Bawden, and Travis have not been practicing for the team since workouts began last week. The Jets are confident they will see Bawden and Williams on the practice field soon.
While no major injuries were sustained today, Hanson and Gipson missed their third practice due to “lower body injuries” they suffered late last week.
Echols suffered a “rib contusion,” according to head coach Robert Saleh on Saturday.
There was a scare for tight end Jeremy Ruckert at one point during practice, but he returned to the field and participated in team drills after a small break from the action.
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Overall, this team is relatively healthy when it comes to their key stars to this point in training camp.
Of note, tackle Morgan Moses is still getting acclimated to the offense at this point after recovering from an injury suffered last season in Baltimore. He should be expected to start with the first-team offense too, but it will take some time.
Haason Reddick Update
The update regarding the Pro Bowl edge rusher is that nothing has changed for both the Jets and Reddick. The former Philadelphia Eagle was away from the team facility to start another week of practice.
It is a significant absence because rumors had begun to swirl that the edge rusher could be attending practice this week, as there had been common ground found between the two sides in search of a new deal.
The issue? It still hasn’t and the longer it goes on, the more fines are coming Reddick’s way.
"The Jets & Haason Reddick have been talking & it certainly sounds like there has been some progress..
I'd be surprised if they didn't get this one solved but he still hasn't reported" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/u0cj8dId8M
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 29, 2024
Reddick’s absence certainly won’t help the Jets as they prepare for a make-or-break season for just about the entire roster.
The longer he stays away, the longer the ramp-up period could be for him as well, as Saleh pointed out last week.
Three Studs, Three Duds From Day 5
RB Braelon Allen | STUD
While the offense struggled mightily throughout Monday’s practice, there was one bright spot among the group and that was former Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen.
Allen was brought to the team to add a physicality to the offense that would be able to spell Breece Hall from time to time. While he has looked relatively strong during practices to this point, putting on the pads showed just how strong Allen is.
The fourth-round pick bulldozed through one defender and showed the blend of physicality and speed the Jets were hoping for when they drafted him.
He’s been excellent and was New York’s best offensive player on Monday.
S Chuck Clark | STUD
Outside of Allen, it wasn’t a good day for the Jets offense. The good news is that safety Chuck Clark came away with an interception — the first of training camp for the first-team offense and Aaron Rodgers.
Clark showed good anticipation to leap into action when one of the first passes was dropped by Allen Lazard and landed in his hands off a ricochet.
The former Baltimore Raven is coming off a torn ACL last season but has looked very strong to this point.
Jets Defensive Line | STUD
After being dominated by the offense for the most part last season, the Jets’ defensive line (and defense as a whole) fought back in a big way on Monday. The defensive line got continuous pressure on Rodgers even without Reddick and looked like a lockdown group in the secondary.
So bad was the domination that Rodgers was visibly frustrated throughout practice due to the amount of pressure on him.
C Joe Tippmann | DUD
The biggest issue for the Jets on Monday (and over the last week) has been the inconsistent snapping ability of Joe Tippmann. The second-year center out of Wisconsin performed admirably during the 2023 season, but has made a ton of high snaps throughout the start of camp.
He had quite a few during practice on Monday and even got Rodgers to voice his displeasure as well.
“He’s gotta work on it,” Saleh said Monday. “There’s clearly something going on, but he’ll get it down. He snapped for us last year, he’ll be fine. I know he’ll work at it, get it settled down. He’ll figure out what that timing looks like, feels like. Some of the things we’re asking him to do in the pass and run game is trying to maximize his athleticism, so it’s just a matter of him working the timing and the rhythm of the snap.”
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It’s worth noting that this is really the first time that Tippmann is consistently snapping the ball to Rodgers as the team’s starting center. He ran with the second team last season, and when he was pushed to the first-team, it was usually at guard due to injury.
Tippmann will need some time to get everything down, though. There’s little reason to be concerned.
Jets Offense | DUD
In case you couldn’t tell, it was an ugly day for the entire Jets offense. Dropped passes, bad snaps, missed blocks, and even an injury scare all played a part.
On one particular play, Rodgers took a snap, tripped on one of his linemen’s feet, and fell down. Jets fans in attendance became quickly concerned as their 40-year-old quarterback is coming off an Achilles injury, and Rodgers was hot once he got up.
Overall, it was a sloppy day for the Jets’ offense as a whole, but it shouldn’t really concern anyone yet. New York looked dominant at times on offense during practices last week, and the ebbs and flows of training camp usually mean the defense will respond after losing the week before.
That doesn’t take away from the fact that this was easily the Jets’ worst offensive look of camp to this point.
Edge Haason Reddick | DUD
We’ve already mentioned Reddick, but there’s a significant financial issue in regard to his contract that continues to play a part in negotiations. For every missed practice, the former first-round edge rusher is set to lose $50,000.
But wait. It gets worse.
Total fines so far, adding it all up: $700k.
– $100 missed minicamp
– $300 six camp practices ($50/day)
– $300 additional fine todayReddick also gave up his $250,000 workout bonus.
Fines will keep adding as long as Reddick holds out. https://t.co/MIGKomnrxP
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) July 29, 2024
By missing Monday’s practice with pads, Reddick is set to be fined an additional $300,000 as well. Add up all the cash the 29-year-old is missing out on, and that total reaches over $700,000 in fines.
Add in an additional $250,000 Reddick could have made by showing up to workouts, and he is close to losing $1 million at this stage of his holdout.
Not the best situation for either side to be in right now.