Florham Park, NJ May 31, 2023 -- General manager Joe Douglas and owner Woody Johnson during the Jets OTA.
Jets GM Joe Douglas has some very important questions that need to be answered ahead of the 2024 NFL season with one of them focused on a 2021 draft pick who could be a key part of the Jets offseason.
Douglas has very little money to spend in free agency (Currntly $1.9 million per overthecap) so we should see some major personnel moves. Only a handful of Jets players would create significant cap relief if cut loose. Star linebacker CJ Mosely sits atop that list as he would represent $17 million in savings if designated a post June 1st cut.
But for the Jets were to consider moving on from Mosley, who will be 32 next season, they would have to believe they have an adequate replacement. That’s where Jamien Sherwood comes in.
Chosen in the 2021 draft out of Auburn, Sherwood played safety in college but was immediately identified as a player who would be making the switch from defensive back to linebacker for Robert Saleh and company.
As one might expect, Sherwood got off to a slow start as he switched positions at the pro level, but he has shown gradual improvement. After looking somewhat hesitant and out of place early on, Sherwood showed improvement over each of the following two years.
In 2023 we saw Sherwood log career highs in snaps, tackles and tackles for loss with 194, 46 and 3 respectively.
Listed as CJ Mosley’s backup at linebacker prior to the 2022 season, the Jets got Sherwood on the field more in 2023 by having him play weak side linebacker while Mosley was in the middle.
Could a move to free up more cash during the upcoming Jets offseason include a promotion for Sherwood? It’s difficult to envision Robert Saleh signing off on moving on from Mosley, a captain and leader coming off of a monster season.
But for Douglas, he needs to create some roster flexibility and that’s what moving on from Mosley could do.