In the wild, a happy Robert Saleh appeared and gave everyone the much-needed update about what was happening in the New York Jets’ backyard. Saleh’s defensive background is taking a backseat these days and he’s getting involved in offensive play calling besides Nathaniel Hackett and Aaron Rodgers.

Saleh has spent 16 seasons in the league with the Texans, Seahawks, Jaguars, and 49ers and he always played a defensive role in each of those franchises. He was the Defensive Quality Control for the Texans and the Assistant Linebacker’s coach. He followed the same path and became the Defensive QC in the Seahawks. Saleh moved on to become a Linebackers coach in the Jaguars before finally switching to 49ers Defensive Coordinator in 2017.

Robert Saleh is trying to usher in a new era for the Jets with Nat Hackett and A-Rod

Saleh is trying to bring all that experience to the Jets this year but with a flair. He ditched the mindset of being involved with just one role and is giving defensive insights to better the New York Jets offense. The coach impressed Aaron Rodgers with his regular participation in offense-related meetings.

“As a defensive coach, he’s been in that room a lot, but he’s been kind of sitting over to the left of me a good amount of the offseason so far,” said Aaron Rodgers and further added, “So we appreciate his influence. He’s brought some really good ideas to the table,” 

When finally asked about his maverick approach to making the Jets triumphant this year the coach said, “We always do that with regards to style of play. But as far as like a specific play, I don’t envision ever being somebody who’s going to mandate a specific thing you know.”

The Jets HC further clarified, “They’ve got a vision of what they are trying to accomplish on that side of the ball, and we have a style that we’re trying to accomplish as a team.” The effect of his involvement became clear when the New York Jets signed a running back who has been missing from the scene since 2020.

The New York Jets giving everything a shot

Surprising news broke out earlier when the New York Jets announced that they signed the former Chicago Bears RB Tarik Cohen to a one-year deal. This left the fans scratching their heads because Cohen hasn’t played since 2020. He tore the ACL and MCL in his right leg in 2020 and even broke his leg. In the 2022 off-season, Cohen tried to return to practice but tore his Achilles tendon, like Aaron Rodgers.

However, the Jets have taken him as a kick returner, and he is on a one-year trial. This happened because the league changed the kick-off rule and borrowed new ones from XFL to minimize injuries. Robert Saleh thinks that Cohen is starting to recover and can play in the coming season.

“With the new kickoff rules, these kick returners, they’re going to touch the ball over 100 times a year, which is significant,” Saleh said. “At least that’s what we’re anticipating. A guy like him, he’s still young and obviously coming off his injuries, but we’re excited to have him aboard.”

Perhaps these are some of the decisions that Saleh has taken since his involvement in the offensive schemes of the team. While the Jets had a bad 7-10 season last year, there is still hope that Rodgers will maintain his health and lead the Jets to a successful season this year.