Jets players hope to see Muhammad Wilkerson soon, but they shouldn’t count on it, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. “He’s the leader of the D-line,” linebacker David Harris said.
“Actually, he’s one of the leaders of the defense. He’s a tremendous talent. He’s one of the best D-ends in the league, hands down. I hope he’s here.”
However, Wilkerson would hurt his leverage for a long-term deal if he were to show up before July 15, his deadline to sign the franchise tag tender. Furthermore, he’s still rehabbing his surgically repaired broken leg and it’s not necessarily guaranteed that he’ll be with his teammates in July. Some people believe that the Pro Bowl defensive end could consider not reporting to training camp, which would put some additional tension between the player and the team.
Here’s more on Gang Green:
- Many view Jets rookie Christian Hackenberg as a developmental quarterback, but offensive coordinator Chan Gailey says the Penn State product could be closer NFL-ready than you might expect. “He retained a great deal from the pro style of offense that [former Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien] had,” Gailey said, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. “He’s ahead in that respect, but he’s behind in seeing what’s going to happen to him defensively in the NFL.”
- Ryan Fitzpatrick and the team’s receivers are missing out on valuable time to grow together, Manish Mehta of the Daily News writes. Last year, Fitzpatrick’s chemistry with Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker made everyone wonder about the damage they could do if they all had a full offseason to work with each other. Now, Mehta feels that the Jets are hurting their cause by not having a deal done with the veteran.
- Recently, Decker expressed his desire to see Fitzpatrick back with the team ASAP. Marshall, meanwhile, said that the team will “be OK” with Geno Smith, Bryce Petty, and Hackenberg.