NY Jets: 3 non-QB storylines to watch in Week 1 vs. Panthers

2. The return of C.J. Mosley to the NY Jets

Outside of Wilson, there might not be another Jets player entering 2021 with more pressure than linebacker C.J. Mosley.

Since inking a five-year, $85 million deal in 2019, the former Baltimore Ravens star has offered Gang Green little as he missed almost all of the 2019 season due to injury and opted out of the 2020 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, with the season-ending injury to defensive end Carl Lawson along with injuries to Vinny Curry and Jarrad Davis, Mosley’s role becomes even more crucial as he looks to anchor a defense that is banged up in the front-seven and thin in the secondary.

“It’s been a breath of fresh air, that’s the best way to put it,” Mosley recently said on The Official Jets Podcast. “I’m happy to be back in the building with my teammates, to be around the locker room and the new energy. What we’re doing now is building a great foundation, setting this team on course to stack up wins and get to where we want to go.”

The case of Mosley is a tricky one because he has proven he can be a productive player whether it be in his time with the Baltimore Ravens or in the Jets’ 2019 Week 1 game against the Buffalo Bills where the Alabama native was all over the field.

Despite losing 17-16, Mosley showed he was a force to be reckoned with as he racked up six tackles, a pick-six, a fumble recovery, and two passes defended.

Now, the goal for Gang Green is to be able to keep him on the field.