FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers was calling out signals during a recent walkthrough practice when C.J. Mosley spotted exactly what the New York Jets' offense was lining up to do.
It's an on-field chess match between the New York Jets middle linebacker and quarterback — and Mosley cracked the code in that moment.
“He looked at me and said, ‘What did you say?’ and changed the play,” a smiling Mosley said Tuesday, adding it has been one of the “coolest things” he has seen in training camp this summer. “And then I was like, ‘Oh, that’s different right there.' Just little stuff like that.”
But that has actually been the big stuff Rodgers has brought to the Jets since being acquired from Green Bay in April.
The 39-year-old Rodgers is building a rapport with the offense and looking to turn one of the NFL's worst units the past few seasons into one of its best. He's also helping the defense improve by keeping that side of the ball on its toes. Rodgers routinely huddles with defensive players to share things he noticed about something they did during a play — and wants to know what they saw of him and the offense.
It's a sharing of information the Jets hope only makes them better when the games start.
“The first day in OTAs (in the spring), he did one of his no-look (passes) and kind of took me off my position and threw the ball,” Mosley recalled. “So I was like, that’s another way that he got me better just by doing that. So now I’m just locked in on just being in my spots and kind of playing off him.”
That's coming from a 31-year-old linebacker who has been in the NFL since 2014. So imagine how valuable these camp practices have been for youngsters such as safety Tony Adams, a second-year player who has intercepted Rodgers twice this summer.
“It's kind of hard to get a jump on A-Rod,” Adams said. "He does a great job of looking you off, a great job of holding you. I also learned a lot from him. I've learned how quarterbacks kind of think, where the reads are coming from.
“Big credit to A-Rod. He's taught me a lot about how to play my position a lot better.”
And the teachable moments also come during mistakes, when Rodgers finds the hole in the defense and burns the defenders for a big connection to one of his receivers.
“You take it and you learn from it,” Adams said.
The Jets were a top-5 defense last season. These moments in camp while facing Rodgers have them focused on even bigger goals.
“I expect every person that comes here every day ready to be the No. 1 defense," Mosley said, "and ready to help this team win a championship.”
After nearly three weeks of going up against each other in practices, the Jets are traveling to Spartanburg, South Carolina, for two joint sessions with the Carolina Panthers before the teams square off in a preseason game Saturday night.
Jets coach Robert Saleh has said he thinks there's more value in the controlled environment of those combined practices than in the exhibition games. None of the established starters played in the Hall of Fame game against Cleveland in Canton, Ohio, last Thursday, and few, if any, are expected to suit up against the Panthers.
“It's a practice, but it's going to feel like a scrimmage,” Mosley said. “Just being a part of these joint practices before, at the end of the practice, it felt like a game.”
After lining up against Rodgers this summer, the Jets' starting defense will get a look at Bryce Young, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft in April who's expected to start for the Panthers this season.
“It's going to be an early test for us as a unit to see where we stand on communications, on when we see another team, we see another color, how can we stay focused and how can we keep communicating?” Mosley said. “It's all the things we've been building these few weeks and we can't let that slide just because we're going somewhere else and having a joint practice.”
NOTES: The Jets signed DE Pita Taumoepenu and DT Bruce Hector, and released DT Isaiah Mack. Taumoepenu was selected the XFL defensive player of the year in May after a standout season with the Vegas Vipers. He has previous experience with Saleh from his time in San Francisco from 2017-19, and Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich after playing in Atlanta in 2020. ... WR Garrett Wilson (sprained ankle) didn't practice, but could return for the sessions with the Panthers.
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