While Jeff Ulbrich insists he won’t speak to his players about former Pro Bowl edge rusher Haason Reddick’s continued absence, the Jets defensive coordinator has conveyed the message to defensive linemen competing for playing time in his absence.
“For every defensive end on this team, one less opportunity for a guy who could have been here means one more opportunity for every guy,” Ulbrich said on a Zoom call Wednesday. “So from Will McDonald’s perspective, from Michael Clemons’ perspective, from all the guys behind them, this is a great opportunity across the board. It really is. And the guys are taking advantage of it.”
Redick, 29, a two-time Pro Bowl player acquired from the Eagles in April, officially requested a trade on Monday.
His holdout, which costs him $50,000 for each day he’s not in camp, reached its 23rd day on Wednesday.
Redick, who has a salary cap hit of $14.25 million in 2024, has recorded 50.5 of his 58 career sacks over the past four seasons, including 11 in 17 games with the Eagles last year.
General manager Joe Douglas publicly denied Redick’s trade request, but the Jets currently have a gaping hole on the right side of the defensive line with the departures of Bryce Huff in free agency and John Franklin-Myers in an offseason trade.
“I think the guys understand it’s a business side of it, and it’s a reality and we acknowledge and recognize that, but at the same time, we’ve got a job to do,” Ulbrich said. “For the guys that are here, we’re going to work hard and try to be the defenseman that we want to be and are capable of being.”
McDonald was a first-round draft pick last year, but played a limited amount of time as a rookie, recording three sacks in 15 games despite being selected 15th overall.
Clemons, the Jets’ 2022 fourth-round pick, also has a chance to earn a starting spot on the right side.
The Jets could potentially use both of them as two-way players if Redick remains sidelined, but Ulbrich praised the 6-foot-5, 263-pound Clemons, calling him “a first-down and second-down guy, but now he has the potential to be a third-down player as well.”
Ulbrich noted that the Jets tried to get Clemons to gain weight last year, but he ended up reverting back to his previous playing weight.
“He’s a big, strong guy,” Ulbrich said. “He’s got it all: toughness, length, size, power and mentality.”
“All of a sudden, he’s back to his old weight and he looks great. He’s moving better than he’s ever been. His pass rush is really starting to develop. I’m excited to see what kind of player he can become. I’m excited to see where Mike goes.”
Both players are scheduled to play in Saturday’s preseason game at Carolina, but Ulbrich said a decision on how much, or if, other defensive regulars will play will be made on game day.
The defense allowed 331 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-17 win over Washington in last week’s preseason opener.
“just [looking for] “We’re getting a little bit better in every aspect,” Ulbrich said. “In Game 1, typically from a defensive standpoint, the tackles are never your best because that’s your first real chance to get the guy on the ground.
“So if there’s one thing that absolutely has to improve and will improve, it’s tackling.”
