Adams’ former partner does a fine impression
Jets safety Marcus Maye looks an awful lot like his old running mate Jamal Adams early in training camp.
Maye has been everywhere during the first week of practices. He is deflecting passes, blowing up plays and even managed a sack of Sam Darnold on Thursday. Maye does not talk as much as Adams, who the Jets traded to the Seahawks last month, but his play has been plenty loud.
“Marcus brings a lot of versatility. He’s extremely smart,” coach Adam Gase said. “He’s able to help get guys lined up and make things look like one thing and get to something else. He’s one of those guys that there’s nothing you can say that he doesn’t do well.”
Maye and Adams were both drafted in 2017. Maye has always played in Adams’ shadow partly because of how good a player Adams is and partly because Adams had a more noticeable impact defensively. While Maye patrolled deep as the free safety normally, Adams was near the line of scrimmage, blitzing and making big hits.
With Adams gone, Maye now may get more opportunities to replicate some of the things Adams did.
“It’s challenging in the aspect where you’re not really sure what he’s going to do when he’s lined up,” Gase said. “You don’t know if he’s coming, you don’t know if he’s going to the middle of the field, you don’t know if he’s going to half field. You don’t know if he’s going to play underneath coverage.”
➤ Gase did not make it sound like WR Denzel Mims and CB Pierre Desir will be back anytime soon. Both are dealing with hamstring injuries. For Mims, the Jets’ second-round pick, every day he misses diminishes his chances of having an immediate impact this season.
“It’s hard for me to say. We’ll see where they’re at,” Gase said when asked when they will be back. “They’re not on the same timetable. Not really sure what that exact day that they would come back.”
Gase said the first step is getting them working on the side with trainers during practice. That has not happened yet. After that, they can start doing individual drills, and then after that they can be incorporated into the team portion of practice. That is three steps, making it sound like it will still be a while before they can return.
➤ The Jets are trying out former first-round pick WR Kevin White, according to the transaction wire. The Bears drafted White in the first round of the 2015 draft. He suffered a seasonending injury as a rookie and his career never got on track. He has just 25 career catches. Jets GM Joe Douglas, Gase and offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains all crossed paths with White with the Bears.