Early expectations for Courtney Upshaw

The New York Jets are taking a shot on linebacker Courtney Upshaw to help bolster their pass rush. Here are his early expectations as heads into training camp and the upcoming season.

When it comes to the overall pass rush of the New York Jets, it leaves much to the imagination. For the past few years now, they’ve been unable to consistently get to the quarterback and produce some much-needed sacks.

During the offseason, the Jets signed veteran linebacker Courtney Upshaw after he did well in a minicamp tryout. Ideally, Upshaw brings big-time experience and sure-fire tackling abilities to the positional group.

After making not one but two Super Bowl appearances with the Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons respectively, Upshaw should be able to come right in and provide quality depth as an outside linebacker and/or potentially a defensive lineman.

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At 6-2 and 272lbs., Upshaw has pretty much seen it all and can be another good presence in the locker room thanks to everything he brings to the table. So far in his seven-year career, Upshaw has totaled 129 tackles, five forced fumbles, eight passes defended, and seven sacks.

Expect to see Upshaw used mostly as a backup at outside linebacker and likely used in special defensive packages to capitalize on his strengths. The positional group needs more experienced talent to be able to get production again. The Jets defensive line also has some serious questions to it besides Leonard Williams so it’s also likely Upshaw could see reps there as well.

With Lorenzo Mauldin on the roster bubble, the Jets likely brought in Upshaw to bring good competition to the positional group in training camp. No spot is guaranteed as Upshaw will also get an opportunity to earn a final roster spot and will likely make it since he is a versatile player that can play several positions on defense.

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