When C.J. Mosley went to the sideline with a neck injury during the second game of the season at Tennessee, a large hole suddenly opened in the middle of the Jets' defense.

Up stepped Jamien Sherwood with his metaphorical shovel, saying, "I got this."

"It's just been a blessing in disguise, it's everything I've been working for," the Jets' fourth-year defender said of his strong showing at MLB since early in that win over the Titans. "Sadly, when C.J. got hurt, I was the next one to get my shot, I had to be ready. Regardless, I prepare every week like I'm going to be a starter, even though I might never touch the field. That's been my goal my whole time since I've been here."

Sherwood even has risen to the leadership challenges posed by the on-field loss of Mosley's defensive captaincy:

"From being a rookie, just sitting behind C.J., learning, him and Quincy [Williams] and Kwon [Alexander] when he was here and all the other guys we've had in the room, I was taking everything I can from everybody to be ready for this moment."

The way Sherwood has emerged is a study in NFL dedication and perseverance. He arrived on the Jets as an unheralded fifth-round pick in 2021 draft after three seasons playing safety at Auburn. Projecting a college DB to become a contributing, even a starting pro LB is never a sure thing, but Sherwood was determined to make it work-work-work.

Communication Skills, Work Ethic
"Jamien was always an excellent communicator," interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich said. "You talk about diligent and putting the extra time in when no one's looking, that's who he is. So he knows our defense like a coach and he communicates in such a way out there that he gets everybody on the same page. And at the same time, you see a speed in his range, you see that carryover from his safety background, especially his comfort and the way he excels in coverage."

Sherwood credits Jets linebackers coach Mike Rutenberg, who scouted him in college, for helping him rebound from a rookie ankle injury to become the force he has been this season.

"Coach Rooty told me how I had to rebrand my body, regrow my body. He stuck beside me the whole time," Sherwood recalled. "Every time I have a question for him, he never shies away, he's already ready to answer. I text him at 12 at night, he's going to respond. As a player, you always appreciate a coach like that because he cares about us and he wants us to do great and be successful on Sundays."

"You look at just physically the work he put in from coming here as a safety to what he looks like right now, it's unbelievable," Rutenberg said, "and that's the work that he put in with the weight room with our weight staff and on his own. Then his leadership, having a chance to be around our room and C.J. and our defense, which has great leaders, you can see him really commanding the huddle, anticipating well and great communication."

Tackling Some Key Stats
Those intangibles are fine but they go hand in hand with production, and Sherwood has provided that as well. Mosley called him "the most productive linebacker in the room," and even QB Aaron Rodgers has taken note: "He's stepping in for 'Cap' and playing some really damn good football."

The tackles are the big numbers that jump out about Sherwood, as they have with Mosley and Williams. An interesting side note is that there are two tackle totals out there for No. 44 through 11 games. He either has 99 stops or 103.

Actually, both are correct. Some NFL statistical websites list only defensive tackles and lop off any special teams tackles, which is where his 99 come in. But Sherwood notched 4 kick-coverage tackles in the first two games and so other stat sites add those in and give him his 103.

Another stat oddity is that initially Sunday, Sherwood was credited with the stripsack of Anthony Richardson at the top of the third quarter. But upon further review, the stat crew ruled that the big paw of Javon Kinlaw swatted the ball out of the Colts QB's hands a split second before Sherwood enveloped Richardson from the front. So Kinlaw gets the tackle, sack and strip as well as the recovery. Sherwood, instead of 100 tackles and the first strip of his pro career, gets only a QB hit, no sack and sits at 99 defensive tackles.

But when he was at 93/97 and fourth in the league before the Indy game, he knew he would not be deterred from three figures worth of tackles, no matter the category.

"There's More on the Table"
"It feels good," he told newyorkjets.com's Caroline Hendershot. "That's something I did want to accomplish in my career in the NFL was surpassing 100 tackles. Quincy and C.J. have done it every year they've been out there. I always sit back and go, 'Dang, can't wait for my opportunity.

"I'm shooting for the No. 1 spot. Four is cool, but one is way better," he said, adding what's most important about any of his numbers is that "I feel there's more on the table. The harder I play, I can be better for my teammates."

Sherwood has tirelessly pursued becoming an NFL starter, and in the process is wearing the "green dot" helmet for presnap communications with the sideline and has assumed additional responsibilities in the locker room and on the field. It would have been shortsighted for anyone to expect him to take time off this bye week before gearing back up next week to resume the season against Seattle.

"If you want to change the outcomes and what's been going on, you've got to take that time to reevaluate, to analyze yourself and how you can do better in the defense, the offense, on special teams, how you can do better for this team in general," he said.

"As the Mike 'backer, I'm always going to point the finger at myself, where could I have been better. So in this bye week, I'll be working on my communications skills, better tackling, and just everything in general so we can turn it around."