Aaron Rodgers Sharp, Jason Brownlee Impresses; Jets Camp Report Day 4

The fourth Jets Camp practice is complete. It was an impressive day for Aaron Rodgers, and rookie wideout Jason Brownlee continues to make a name for himself. Monday is an off day for the team. Here is KRL’s camp report for Sunday 07/23/23.

General Notes

– Practice ran 2 hours and 20 minutes. There were more 11 on 11 periods added.

– Players in jerseys and shorts for the final time before pads on Tuesday.

– Will McDonald was back at practice but didn’t see any reps.

– Another “fight” broke out between Solomon Thomas and, I think, Laken Tomlinson.

– I have to correct a mistake I made about the returners, Xavier Gipson is auditioning for the spot, not TJ Luther.

– It was a fairly even practice, but in my opinion, the offense won the day with a strong red zone period.

Defense Notes

– Strong day for Michael Clemons as he had a “sack” of Zach Wilson.  And combined with Jamien Sherwood to produce a TFL on Michael Carter during 11 on 11.

– Jamien Sherwood was active with the previously mentioned TFL; he also caused a fumble as he stripped Carter during 11 on 11.

– Quinnen Williams flashed today as he also got Carter for a TFL during 11 on 11.

– Nice combo coverage by DJ Reed and Jordan Whitehead to break up a 50+ yarder from Aaron Rodgers to Allen Lazard.

Offense Notes

– The offense pushed the ball down the field today, which generated quite a few “chunk plays”. But they need to improve on the “back shoulder” throws.  Because there were a few miscommunications where the receiver never turned around, and the ball sailed out of bounds.

– Nick Bawden (FB) is carving out a role for himself in this offense. He’s not just a blocking back. He’s very nimble in space and has very good hands.  He caught multiple balls from all the QBs and they weren’t just dump-offs.  Bawden is able to get downfield and beat LBs. He caught
a 20+ yard “wheel route” from Chris Streveler during 11 on 11.

– TE is going to be a significant position in this offense. The question is how many will be carried. Because Tyler Conklin, Jeremy Ruckert, Kenny Yeboah, and Zack Kuntz are the QBs “security blankets” during practice, and CJ Uzomah isn’t even available. Conklin again caught a TD from Rodgers during the red zone period, and Yeboah scored a TD with a crazy one-handed diving catch from Zach Wilson.

– Standing on the sideline makes it hard to analyze the middle of the offensive line. But two linemen that stood out today were Max Mitchell and Mekhi Becton. Mitchell is still running with the #1s and showed impressive movement/speed in getting to the second level on an outside run by Carter for 10+ yards.  As for Becton, he’s striking DLinemen in the chest and stopping them in their tracks.  If he stays healthy, it’s going to be interesting to see where Duane Brown plays.

– Is Jason Brownlee the reason the team traded Denzel Mims? I would say yes because, so far, he’s doing everything we expected from Mims. He made an outrageous catch over Bryce Hall (leaping over him and taking the ball away) for 20+ yards from Wilson. What will help Brownlee make this team is that he’s already on special teams.

– Garrett Wilson was being targeted by Rodgers today, and he made quite a few big plays:
* 30+ yard TD where he found a seam in the zone and then ran away from the defense.
* During the red zone, Wilson made a diving TD catch as Rodgers put it where only he could catch it.
* When the defense came with a blitz, Rodgers adjusted the play and found Wilson for a 15+ yarder.

QB Notes

– Aaron Rodgers was sharp today and started incorporating his “hand signals” into reps to change receiver routes. One time he went through two sets of signals, and on the snap, he found Lazard for a 50+ yard TD through the middle of the defense. And as practice closed out, he had TDs to Conklin and Wilson to close out practice.

– Nice follow-up day by Zach Wilson as he continues to “find completions” and move the ball. He’s developing better chemistry with the TE (Yeboah) and RB (Carter, Abanikanda) spots to pick up easy yards. Also, as Wilson finishes his drop and hits his back foot, the ball isn’t being held like before.

Standouts

– Garrett Wilson
– Nick Bawden
– TE spot
– Mekhi Becton

Concerns

– The chemistry/sync on back shoulder throws has to improve.

KRL

See Full Bio