The overhauled Jets boast five new starters on their defense, six if you count defensive end Carl Lawson, who missed all of last season with a ruptured Achilles.
The significant changes make it even more imperative to have dependable veteran middle linebacker C.J. Mosley anchoring the revamped unit entering Sunday’s season opener against the Ravens, the first game he’ll play against his former team since coming to the Jets in 2019.
“The Mike linebacker, and especially a guy like C.J., which we lean on so much to run our defense and make all our checks and adjust and communicate and get everybody lined up, he is absolutely critical,” defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said after practice Thursday in Florham Park. “He is a guy that elevates everyone around him.
“He’s the guy, because of him we have the chance to be a good defense. He’s got a lot of the glue that holds us together. So we go a little bit as he goes. If there’s a guy I want to lean on, that’s the guy I want to lean on.”
The 30-year-old Mosley, who was named the Jets’ defensive captain this week, replied that his coach’s compliment “means a lot to me.” Especially because he was able to appear in and start all but one game last season after playing just two in 2019 due to injuries before making the decision to sit out the 2020 campaign due to COVID-19 concerns.
C.J. MosleyBill Kostroun“I take a lot of pride in staying level-headed. I’ve mentioned the bend but don’t break mentality, that’s kind of how I live my life day-to-day, not getting too high or too low whether things are good or bad,” Mosley said. “It’s just really understanding the situations that we’re in.
“I’ve been fortunate to play a lot of football, a lot of NFL football. So I’ve been in a lot of different games and different situations when it comes to playing these big games, these season openers.”
Mosley spent five seasons with the Ravens, making four trips to the Pro Bowl, before signing a five-year contract worth $85 million with the Jets as a free agent in 2019. He restructured what’s left of that deal last week — converting nearly $14.9 million in base salary into a signing bonus while adding two void years to help the Jets create more than $11.9 million in 2022 cap space.
The Jets played at Baltimore in December 2019, but Mosley was injured and didn’t dress for the game.
“I haven’t really stressed myself out thinking about it. We’re preparing for our first opponent,” Mosley said. “Obviously, it’s a closer connection for me, but as far as the mental feeling of it, I haven’t really came to it yet. I know once I get on the field, I’m sure once all the smoke clears and all the hoopla gets out of the way, it’ll be right back to football.
“I’ve been in this league a long time, so I know what it’s like and how the NFL works. It’s a business at the end of the day. They gave me the opportunity to be in the NFL. I spent five years and I definitely considered that home for a long time. I have a lot of history, obviously with the Ravens, so no hard feelings there.”
Before the offseason changes, the Jets ranked last in the NFL last season in yards allowed per game (397.8) and points allowed per game (29.6). The new starters include three in the secondary — including No. 4-overall pick Sauce Gardner at cornerback — and former Pro Bowler Kwon Alexander at outside linebacker.
The first test comes Sunday for second-year coach Robert Saleh’s team against dynamic quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, the sixth-ranked offense in the league in 2021.
“I think the potential [of the defense] is very high,” Mosley said. “We have a lot of great guys starting on our defense, and a lot of reserves that are great, too. … I feel like our ceiling is very high and it’s up to us to fulfill that when it comes to making plays.
“We definitely have a lot of potential to grow and this is going to be our first big test. We’re all ready and looking forward to it.”
