Davante Adams will likely make his New York Jets debut Sunday night in Pittsburgh.
The superstar wide receiver was acquired from Las Vegas on Tuesday, and Jets coach Jeff Ulbrich said Wednesday that Adams would participate in the team’s road trip and should play in games against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“I think so,” Ulbrich said. “Yeah.”
He said it will be a “challenge” for play-caller Todd Downing and the offensive staff to get Adams “up to speed as quickly as possible.”
“Fortunately, there’s a lot of familiarity with the offense. It’s been a system he’s been a part of for years, so I don’t foresee it being a big obstacle to getting him involved,” he said.
Adams missed the Raiders’ life for three games with hamstring trauma that coincided with his request to be traded. Year making a surprising appearance during quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ weekly “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday, Adams said he expected to play.
“I feel great, man,” Adams said. “Hopefully, I’ll be able to roll.”
That means he and Rodgers will immediately renew their connection on the field, which was once one of the greatest wide receivers in modern NFL history. Adams caught 615 passes from Rodgers for 7,517 yards and 68 touchdowns during eight combined seasons in Green Bay. That’s probably the most in all three divisions among any combination of active players.
“Their connection and chemistry between these two guys is unique. They spent a lot of time together on one hand, but on the other hand, they are both high football IQ guys who can really take their connection to another space,” Ulbrich. fixed.
Ulbrich said he came away inspired from his closest encounter with Adams on Tuesday.
“I had never met him before he arrived yesterday and he is such a wonderful human being,” she said. “You never know what a superstar will be like, sometimes a little weird and sometimes not at all. Just the humility I felt towards him, the great teammate I felt for the love of football. I’m very excited to add “This guy is our , not only to the field as a player, but to the locker room from a cultural point of view.
Adams, 31, had 103 passes last season for 1,144 yards and eight touchdowns for the Raiders. It was his fifth 1,000-yard season in six years, split only by the 997 yards he had in 2019.
Adams had 18 passes for 209 yards and one touchdown in three games with Las Vegas this season.
He will bolster an unexpectedly loaded Jets wide receiver team that includes Garrett Wilson, who leads the Unused York with 41 receptions, Allen Lazard, Mike Williams, Xavier Gipson, Irvin Charles and rookie Malachi Corley. There are some questions about how Downing will be able to find roles for everyone in the era of also integrating Adams into the machine.
“It’s a really interesting problem,” Ulbrich said. “It will give us a chance to have more flexibility in moving these guys around. Sometimes it will be based on route concepts, sometimes it will be based on matchups, but it gives us a lot of freedom to play with the alignment of these guys. [up]”.
Williams, a separate agent who signed last offseason, has been slow to establish a relationship with Rodgers. He was once the supposed receiver when Rodgers threw interceptions in the Jets’ best offensive form in losses to Buffalo and Minnesota. Rodgers said Williams was in the wrong place on the throw that was intercepted by Taron Johnson on Monday night.
The arrival of Adams, in particular, clouds Williams’ role within the offense.
“I talked to Todd about this yesterday and this morning, and fortunately, Todd is very good at calling plays for certain guys and making sure everyone is a part of this offense,” Ulbrich said. “So, Todd is in it. Every guy will be integrated, and everyone will have their touches and their [opportunities] and all the boys will show up, sometimes.”
Accidents Ulbrich said Rodgers was out of Wednesday’s session resting his injured left ankle. The 40-year-old quarterback was limited during the team’s first two practices late before fully contributing last Saturday. Ulbrich said Rodgers needs to practice Thursday and be fit to play in Sunday’s games.
Cornerbacks DJ Reed (groin) and Michael Carter II (again) were not expected to continue Wednesday and could skip the sport.
Lavish Cimini of ESPN and The Associated Press contributed to this file.
