Nelson, Haden ready to square off in Gator date

Jets wide receiver David Nelson and Browns corner Joe Haden were teammates at the University of Florida, winning a national championship together in January 2009. The two also spent time together in training camp this year after Nelson signed with Cleveland in the offseason before getting released at the end of August.

It’s no surprise to Nelson that Haden, who’s questionable with a hip pointer but returned to practice Friday, has emerged as one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL. Nelson says since the day the No. 7 overall selection in the 2010 draft stepped foot on campus in Gainesville, Haden has improved every single year.

“I’m so proud of the player he’s become,” Nelson told the Daily News. “He’s playing at an extremely high level right now. In my opinion — I’ve seen a lot of cornerbacks, played against a lot of the great ones — he’s playing right up there with the best in the league right now. He’s a dynamic, shutdown corner. He's really doing a lot of great things for that team.”

The 24-year-old corner has helped Cleveland become a top-10 overall and pass defense. There’s an onus on the receivers, Nelson says, to do whatever they can to help struggling quarterback Geno Smith finish the season strong. That will be particularly challenging against the Browns.

“We put that on ourselves every single week,” Nelson said. “You have to, especially for a rookie quarterback, especially with the way the offense was struggling there for a little bit. Receivers are the playmakers of the offense, so we put a lot on ourselves and we’re very hard on ourselves. We expect and demand a lot from the individuals in our room. This week is no exception. We have a huge battle against this defense.”

CRO SHOULD BE A GO

CB Antonio Cromartie, who’s been dealing with a nagging hip injury, was limited in practice but is probable for Sunday’s game, as is everyone on the Jets’ injury report. Cromartie said this week he will see a couple of hip specialists before determining whether or not he needs offseason surgery.

Cromartie is scheduled for a $5 million roster bonus in March.

KOTWICA TO TALK TO ARMY

Special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica will interview for the Army head coaching job this weekend, ESPN reported. Kotwica is in his first season as special teams coordinator with the Jets. He played for Army in college as a linebacker.