Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams is one of the Jets’ top players. It is hard to debate that. But unlike some of his teammates, he plays fewer than two-thirds of the defensive snaps.
Why?
Williams has played 62 percent (346 snaps) of the Jets’ defensive plays this season. It would seem smart for that number to be at 80 or 90 percent, since Williams is an impactful player, but head coach Robert Saleh believes in a heavy rotation along the defensive line because of what he is asking in his scheme. Defensive linemen are asked to penetrate and get in the backfield on every down in Saleh’s system, unlike two-gap systems, in which linemen read and react more.
“The objective really for the entire D-line is to not have any of them play more than 40 snaps in a game. That’s the goal,” Saleh said before the Jets face the Bills on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. “The amount of strain we ask from play-to-play, if you are able to play 90 percent, to us, and everyone’s different, but the 3-4 teams can because they’re more gap controlled, stay on the l ine of scrimmage.
“We ask so much out of our D-line that if you can go four plays in a row or play 90 percent, then you’re probably BS’ing on the football field, in our mind and you’re not executing the technique as it’s designed.”
The Jets’ interior defensive line got roasted last week against the Colts, but has been one of the team’s strengths this season. Williams has gotten the most snaps at 62 percent, but he has remained around Saleh’s goal of 40 snaps a game for most of the year. He had 59 snaps against the Titans, but that was because of Derrick Henry and the focus on stopping the run in that game. He played 50 snaps against the Falcons and in the second Patriots game. In every other game he was right near 40 snaps or below.
The other defensive linemen have also been rotational. Folorunso Fatukasi has played 56 percent of the snaps. Sheldon Rankins is at 54 percent. Nathan Shepherd is at 35 percent.
“Quinnen is a phenomenal football player, but we also think Sheldon Rankins is a phenomenal football player,” Saleh said. “We love Foley (Folorunso Fatukasi), we love Shep (Nathan Shepherd), so there’s a really cool four-man rotation, really deep four-man rotation and on the interior. The objective is to keep those guys as fresh as possible, especially when you get to those two-minute situations at the end of half, at the end of game, so they can give you everything they got. Four straight shots and get off the field.”
Tight ends coach Ron Middleton will not coach Sunday due to COVID-19 protocols. Offensive assistant Billy VandeMerkt will handle his responsibilities.
The Jets activated punter Braden Mann and OL Conor McDermott off IR, and placed OL Chuma Edoga on IR. … They elevated TE Kenny Yeboah, DE Ronnie Blair, FB Nick Boden and DE Hamilcar Rashed off the practice squad.