JETS UNDERGROUND Vol. #15
Where Jets Fans Go Deep
JETS TRIVIA
Joe Namath was selected #1 overall by the New York Jets in the 1965 AFL Draft. What NFL team also drafted him in the first round of their 1965 draft?
(Answer is at the end of the newsletter)
TUNNEL TALK: Position Battles Loom Which Sharpens Everyone!
It has been nearly two weeks of training camp, capped by a spirited scrimmage on Saturday. With the Jets’ first preseason game fast approaching, the intensity is reaching a boiling point. Across the roster, fierce position battles are bringing out the best in the players, proving once again that iron sharpens iron—especially during the grueling dog days of August.
There are several key competitions I’m watching closely:
Braelon Allen vs. Isaiah Davis: Before Davis’ knee injury that will shelf him for a couple of weeks, this competition was a good one. It could be one of the most intriguing offensive battles of camp. Allen brings size, power and a physical (or lack of) running style, while Davis continues to make his case with vision, toughness and playmaking ability. The competition isn’t simply about who piles up the most yards. The Jets will be watching who consistently hits the right holes, protects the football, handles pass protection and makes plays when the pads come on. The preseason will go a long way toward determining who earns the bigger role.
My Choice: It seems to me that Allen will not hit contact head-on like he should in short yardage. He is actually better running wide than between the tackles. I like Davis here. Hopefully he comes back 100%.
Brandon Stephens vs. Nahshon Wright vs. Azareye’h Thomas: The cornerback competition is getting increasingly interesting. Stephens brings veteran experience and physicality, Wright has the size and opportunity to make an impression, while Thomas continues to emerge as one of the young players generating attention. Every contested pass and every quality coverage rep matters as the Jets determine who deserves the most important snaps.
My Choice: I’d love the starting CBs to be Wright & Thomas, but Stephens’ contract is the X factor here, though he has also looked good so far.
Minkah Fitzpatrick’s Safety Partner: Fitzpatrick appears firmly established as the leader and anchor of the safety room. The real question is who lines up next to him. Andre Cisco, Malachi Moore, Dane Belton and VJ Payne (out now with an injury) are all competing for significant playing time. Each brings a different skill set, and the battle will involve much more than making big hits or interceptions. Communication, positioning, tackling and the ability to execute assignments will be critical.
My Choice: Dane Belton. I was told by a Giants fan when the Jets signed him mostly for special teams that he is a “player” and underrated at safety. He is having a great camp!
Isaiah Williams and the Wide Receiver Room: Williams is competing for an opportunity to carve out a meaningful role in the offense. With every practice rep, he’s trying to demonstrate that he can separate from defenders, make difficult catches, create yards after the catch and—perhaps most importantly—earn the trust of the coaching staff. A strong preseason could change his standing considerably.
My Choice: I was never convinced that AD Mitchell is the real deal, though it’s trending more that I’m more wrong than right. My choice for starters would be Wilson, Cooper & Williams.
Jason Sanders vs. Cade York: The kicking competition has a simple scoreboard: make the kick. Sanders brings the experience of an established NFL veteran, while York has an opportunity to challenge him for the job. Distance, consistency, kickoffs and performance under pressure will all be evaluated. There aren’t many position battles where one bad rep can be seen from 50 yards away, but this is one of them.
My Choice: Jason Sanders. As long as the team monitors his hip, to me this is a no-brainer. I was a huge Cade York fan when he was at LSU, but he was overdrafted in the 4th round, and his inconsistency in the 30-to-50-yard range is stunning.
To Sum Up
As I watch these camp battles unfold, I am reminded every single day that competition is the ultimate antidote to complacency. While my personal choices and leanings can change instantaneously based on what I see on the field, I have always been a huge believer in trusting the eye test over all other metrics.
When a veteran knows a younger player is pushing for his job, he simply can’t afford to take a single practice rep off. When a young player realizes an established veteran is standing between him and his dream of playing time, he has every reason to raise his game. And when that relentless level of competition echoes throughout every position group on the roster, the entire organization benefits.
The Jets don’t need every player to be a household-name superstar. What I want to see—and what I believe this team is building toward—are trustworthy players who refuse to stop competing for their opportunity. Training camp is precisely where those standards are established, and I can’t wait to see how it translates under the lights this Friday night.
The preseason opener will provide the first real test. Until then, every practice rep is another opportunity to sharpen the guy standing across from you.
VETERAN SPOTLIGHT: Laveranues Coles
If you want to understand the definition of a fearless, gritty competitor—the kind of explosive wide receiver who played through pain, took vicious hits across the middle, and constantly sparked the New York passing attack with elite speed and toughness—you look at No. 87. Entering the league as a third-round draft pick out of Florida State in 2000, Laveranues Coles arrived in New York ready to make an immediate impact. Across multiple stellar stints with the Jets (2000–2002, 2005–2008, and 2010), Coles carved out a legendary career, becoming one of the most reliable and productive playmakers in franchise history. Standing 5-foot-11 and weighing 200 pounds, Coles played much bigger than his size, serving as a masterclass in route-running, yards-after-catch ability, and relentless competitiveness.
Coles’ rise to prominence in the Green & White was built on pure determination and explosive playmaking. Whether he was turning short slants into long gains or hauling in deep balls under heavy coverage, he completely commanded the line of scrimmage. His peak years in New York yielded staggering numbers, highlighted by multiple 1,000-yard seasons and a Pro Bowl nod. He finished his standout career with 674 receptions for 8,609 yards and 49 touchdowns.
Following his retirement from the NFL, Coles eventually answered a completely different kind of call to serve. Returning to his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, Coles completed rigorous training to become a sworn police officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Trading his cleats for a badge, Coles noted that the demanding structure, teamwork, and sense of duty brought back the exact camaraderie he felt during his playing days.
Laveranues Coles didn’t just play wide receiver — he attacked the secondary with an unrelenting motor that electrified the fanbase. While many players have passed through the organization, no Jets fan who watched him lay it on the line every Sunday will ever forget the toughness and heart No. 87 brought to the franchise.
MY THOUGHTS: My Interesting Player To Watch: DT Sheffield
Every summer I pick one player in Jets camp who I find incredibly interesting. Not necessarily wanting him to make the roster, just something in his background or family that stirs up the juices in me. Last year it was WR Jamaal Pritchett, whose moves and yards after the catch were just electrifying. He caught 7 balls in the 2025 preseason, averaging 10 yards per catch. His moves after the catch were incredible. I’m still watching his progress this year, though the wide receiver room is getting very crowded.
A number of years ago it was Louisville edge rusher/linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin. Mauldin’s journey to the professional ranks was shaped by an exceptionally turbulent childhood. He moved through 16 different foster placements as both of his parents were incarcerated, spending much of his early life in foster care and group homes across Atlanta before finding stability through football and his adoptive family during high school. After playing his college ball at Louisville and spending time with the New York Jets, Mauldin successfully resurrected his career north of the border, starring in the Canadian Football League. He evolved into one of the league’s most feared pass rushers, capturing the CFL’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player award in 2022 after racking up a franchise-record 17 sacks for the Ottawa Redblacks.
Which brings us to this year. One of the undrafted free agents the Jets signed is a player named DT Sheffield. When they signed him, I was confused (especially seeing his height at 5’7”), thinking he played defensive tackle — but DT is his first name. What’s well-documented is his exceptionally unconventional football journey. Coming out of Corinth, Mississippi, he was lightly recruited and had to take the ultimate long road through the junior college and transfer portal ranks — making stops at Northwest Mississippi Community College, Washington State, North Texas, and finally proving himself at Rutgers before earning his professional opportunity as an undrafted free agent. Across his FBS career alone (North Texas, Washington State, Rutgers), Sheffield posted 115 receptions for 1,422 yards and 16 touchdowns. Combining FBS and junior college numbers, he totaled 234 receptions for 3,247 yards and 50 total touchdowns over 53 college games — a genuinely prolific college producer, just spread across a lot of different jerseys.
A nice full-circle moment: in a 2025 game against Memphis, Sheffield scored on a 75-yard touchdown run and a 75-yard catch-and-run in front of family and friends near his Mississippi hometown — he told reporters afterward, “They have been waiting a long time to watch me... I wanted to put a show on for them,” suggesting a close, supportive family network.
I’ve always liked having one short gadget player — a la Bruce Harper — hidden behind larger offensive linemen. In an already crowded skill position room that might not have space for DT Sheffield (and Jamaal Pritchett, for that matter), let’s keep an eye on this guy who saw the country going from school to school before ending up at Rutgers. Maybe like in baseball, you can never have enough pitching — the same adage may hold for skill players on the Jets. ✈️
SCRIBES & PODS
Rich Cimini (ESPN) on sizing up the team’s early hurdles heading into the new campaign: “Their record in September over the last 10 years... is 7 and 26. If you want to go percentage, that is a .212 winning percentage... That is damning how bad that is, that is by far the worst of any team in the NFL.”
Connor Hughes (SNY) on wide receiver Isaiah Williams emerging as a camp standout: “One training camp star who is really starting to generate a ton of buzz is Isaiah Williams. He caught that touchdown on the first possession [of the Jets’ scrimmage]. He is making a ton of plays with the starters.”
Nick Faria (Sports Illustrated) on the offensive progression during the first week of August drills: “Geno Smith-Garrett Wilson connection continues to flash high-level rhythm, giving the passing game an identity while the young depth pieces sort out their roles.”
Jets Quote from the Past:
“When you’re legally blind in one eye, you learn to trust your instincts more than your vision. I didn’t see the ball; I felt where it was going to be.” Wesley Walker
NFL Fact: Draft History
Today the NFL Draft consists of 7 rounds, but its history is defined by massive expansion. During the 1940s, teams selected players through a staggering 32 rounds, yielding over 300 picks annually.
Trivia Answer:
The St. Louis Cardinals (from the National Football League) also drafted Joe Namath in the first round of the 1965 draft (held in late 1964) during the height of the AFL–NFL bidding war, before he ultimately chose to sign with the AFL’s New York Jets.
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About the Author: Marty Schupak has been a New York Jets fan since 1964 and has seen it all — the highs, the lows, and everything in between. A nationally known youth sports coach and sports historian, Marty is the creator of Schupak Sports, host of the Jets Rewind Podcast, and the author of 13 books, including Championship Baseball Drills and 44 Baseball Mistakes & Corrections. For more resources, coaching tips, and Jets commentary, visit www.SchupakSports.com.
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