No Sheldon? No problem!
Seems to be a common sentiment amongst Jets fans… at least the jets fans I know. And I have to think that it’s truly a blessing in disguise for everyone except Sheldon Richardson. The thing is here is the Jets spent the 6th overall draft pick on Defensive Lineman Leonard Williams, the best defensive if not the best prospect in the draft. And if he is as good as projected, which in OTA’s and Minicamp he looks as predicted, the Jets seemed to have too many linemen to work with. However it seemed like Mohammed Wilkerson was going to hold out and Williams would be talking his reps. But as it turns out with Sheldon Richardson being suspended for the first four games of the season, that makes Leonard Williams at least for now the starting Defensive end opposite Wilkerson.
What does all of this mean for the Jets? Well for starters it will throw Williams right into getting starting reps, which as a lineman, is more important then any other position. It’ll throw him right into the deep end and the rookie will have to sink or swim. I believe he’s going to swim and swim like a pro.
There’s another interesting angle here in this story. And that’s contract negotiations. Wilkerson by all means should get all pro type money. Sheldon put it so eloquently as “Suh Money”. But with a suspension to Sheldon Richardson due to Marijuana it’s going to be hard for his agent to get him that same kind of money come contract negotiations unless he comes back from suspension and devastates the league… which as a 5 tech defensive end is really hard to do. The point is this suspension may have just helped solve the Jets monetary issue when it comes to keeping all these lineman while allowing a young player to wreck havoc on the league.
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