Jamien Sherwood – Jets Emerging Star from the Pipeline

The pre-draft profile described Jamien Sherwood as a thick-bodied safety with a sideline-to-sideline motor, with the propensity to be a fierce tackler against the run, alongside possessing a quick first step to help match up against bigger targets in coverage. This varied skill set is what led to the Jets drafting Sherwood with the 146th pick of the 2021 NFL draft.

Despite being a safety in college, the Jets declared the twenty-one-year-old a linebacker on draft, putting the Florida native in the same room as former All-Pro, CJ Mosley. Throughout his rookie year, Sherwood became a special teams staple for the Jets, utilizing his wingspan and ability to wrap up tackles like a pro to feature in Brent Boyer’s special team unit, something that Sherwood has continued throughout his Jet career. Dubbed the ‘Florham Park Strangler’ by Robert Saleh, the rookie’s season was cut short in game seven, with Jamien suffering a catastrophic torn Achilles tendon, cutting his season short after starting five out of the first seven games of the year.

Despite this bump in the road, number forty-four came back to feature in all seventeen games, with 309 out of his 334 snaps coming on special teams, further cementing his place in Brant Boyer’s special team core. In 2023, Sherwood struggled to cement his place in Robert Saleh’s defensive unit, starting just three games. Although the Jensen Beach high school graduate was limited to just seventeen percent of snaps, he impressed, creating his first NFL takeaway with a forced fumble in a week nine loss in Las Vegas.

Entering 2024, Jamien Sherwood was coming into the last year of his rookie deal, and after the gradual progression across his first three years in the league, there was simmering excitement in and around Jets One Drive about the possibility of a true breakout season for yet another Jets pipeline linebacker. At the time, head coach Robert Saleh spoke on the expectations surrounding Sherwood, stating, ‘’”Every single year he has gotten better and better and better… He’s increased his weight, his IQ, his speed, his strength, and his mindset.”

The former Tigers safety was rewarded for his impressive preseason with a start on Monday Night Football in San Francisco. Much like the rest of the Jets defense, Sherwood didn’t exactly grasp this opportunity, putting up a season-low four tackles. However, after catastrophe struck in week two, as defensive captain CJ Mosley went down, Jamien Sherwood exploded into life with a Mosley-esque performance with a game-high 12 tackles, alongside both a tackle for loss and a pass defended, demonstrating Jamien’s ability to both sit in the box and track tight ends in coverage in a crucial Nashville win.

Fast forward to post-week six: Jamien Sherwood is outperforming the entire organization’s expectations, and the league is taking notice. The 24-year-old was ranked as the second-best linebacker through the first five weeks of the season, with his 83.4 grade from PFF and 87.0 coverage grade, only bettered by 49ers superstar Fred Warner. Sherwood’s excellent 87.0 coverage grade has massively helped the Jets shift into different defensive sets after a multitude of injuries to the defensive side of the ball, leading the Jets to rely more on their elite coverage assets. The ‘Florham Park Strangler’s’ football IQ, coverage versatility, and elite speed to decipher a play and drop back into coverage or help plug gaps in the run game have aided this struggling Jets’ defensive line.

Sherwood’s defended pass against the Titans is a perfect example of his role in this Jets team: after not biting on a play-action from Will Levis, Jamien used his elite speed to get out in front of Tyler Boyd and fully cover the former Bengal, as Levis’ pass deflected off Sherwood’s helmet. Elite green-dot linebacking.

Under the tutelage of Mike Rutenberg, both Sherwood and Quincy Williams are a testament to Rutenberg’s talents as a linebackers coach, with the underdog stories of Quincy and Jamien putting Rutenberg in contention for defensive coordinator jobs across the league. Sherwood has been easily one of the best linebackers across the NFL in the opening stages of 2024, and despite the return of CJ Mosley in week six, the 2021 5th-rounder looks to have cemented his place as the green-dot linebacker for the Jets. Sherwood was ranked the fifth-best overall Jet in week six (per PFF), as Mosley moved into a sub-package on Monday Night Football, a sign that the Jets have the ability to replace veterans, like Mosley, as they pass their prime.

Replacing from within is what good football teams do; having a pipeline of young guys ready to take over from your veterans of yesteryear is what builds a culture across different coaching staffs. Previously John Franklin-Myers, Quincy Williams, or Bryce Huff, the continuation of an in-house pipeline of non-premiere talent is what will keep this Jets defense among the NFL’s best for years to come.

Charlie Shaw

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