This is one in a series of articles that will also appear in the New York Jets 2020 Yearbook, which will be published later this summer.
C.J. Mosley's return to the field is one of the most anticipated storylines for Jets fans since he suffered a Week 1 groin injury that kept him sidelined for almost all of the rest of last season. The 6'2", 250-pound ILB signed with the Jets in March 2019 after spending five years in Baltimore and earning four Pro Bowl honors and All-Pro second-team nods in 2014 and 2016-2018.
Mosley, the top linebacker available at the start of free agency, didn't take long to sign with the Jets and make himself at home. The Alabama product established his rhythm in defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' scheme immediately and unfolded his talents while bursting out of the gates in the opener against the Buffalo Bills, recording an interception-return touchdown, a fumble recovery and another pass defense on the play on which he was injured.
He played in just one more game, the Monday night contest against New England, before shutting it down. Two months later, he underwent season-ending surgery.
"It's been annoying, honestly," Mosley said of the rehab process. "You set a timetable up and you're not ready and you feel like you've had a setback. But you've just got to be patient. I just have to make sure I trust the process as far as therapy and training and take it one day at a time."
And in May, C.J. reported, "I wouldn't say it's 100% but I feel good. Mentally and physically, I feel great. It's just a matter of getting on the field and doing it."
Heading into his seventh NFL season, Mosley will again be one of the top players at his position. It's 2020, he's taken it one day at a time, and now he's ready to get back in the hunt.
