Jets outside linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin was arrested on an assault charge in June, but it may be injury issues – not off-field troubles – that lead to his ouster from their roster, according to Laura Albanese of Newsday. Mauldin has dealt with a back injury this summer, one likely to keep him out of the Jets’ preseason game against the Giants on Saturday, while fellow OLBs Freddie Bishop, Dylan Donahue and Josh Martin have perhaps done enough to justify roster spots over the past month.
Moving on from the 24-year-old Mauldin would mean abandoning hope on a recent high draft pick. The Jets chose Mauldin in the third round (No. 82 overall) in 2015, a class that included other disappointments in wide receiver Devin Smith (second round) and quarterback Bryce Petty (fourth round).
Mauldin has totaled 6.5 sacks across 26 games with the Jets. The majority of those sacks (four) came during Mauldin’s 15-game rookie season, though he only played 24 percent of the Jets’ defensive snaps that year. His on-field action increased last season (34 percent of defensive plays), but he missed five games and saw his production go backward. Mauldin also drew a subpar ranking from Pro Football Focus for the second straight year, as the outlet placed him 80th in performance among 110 qualified edge defenders.
Regardless of whether he plays this year with the Jets or another team, Mauldin is unlikely to face NFL-imposed discipline for his arrest until the 2018 season. He’s accused of punching a man in a New York nightclub in early April, and he allegedly broke several bones in the man’s face.