The Jets' No. 54 in green stands out every time he takes the field in Florham Park. Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, who has reunited this summer with HC Robert Saleh and D-line coach Aaron Whitecotton, is a large man who has a big opportunity with the Green & White.

"He's a ginormous human being," Saleh said. "His mindset is the same. Knock on wood for good health, he's a dominant football player and he's got an opportunity to prove it."

Kinlaw, who signed with the Jets in March after spending his first four pro seasons with the 49ers, told reporters Monday that he added 35 pounds of lean muscle this offseason.

"Just to stay on those double teams," said the 6-5 Kinlaw who now weighs 330 pounds. "I felt like last year I was getting moved a little bit probably just because I didn't have enough muscle. But when I take on these blocks out here, I just feel way more sturdy."

After playing 24 games in 2020-22, Kinlaw appeared in a career-high 12 contests last year and established a personal best with 3.5 sacks. After totaling 14 stops and 3 TFL in three postseason games, Kinlaw changed his diet before he changed his address.

"My girl, she'll make me like nine chicken eggs in the morning, a whole avocado, a handful of spinach," he said. "At lunch time, I'd eat like six chicken breasts and a little salad on the side. At [dinner], I'd probably eat a little pasta, like a pound of ground beef and a few noodles mixed in. I did it every day and it paid off. I'm still eating that same way right now, a little less though. I don't want to be took bulky."

Kinlaw's professional road started in the 2020 NFL Draft when the 49ers selected him with the 14th overall pick. At South Carolina, Kinlaw earned Asssociated Press All-America and first-team All-SEC honors following a 2019 season that saw him register 6 sacks and 35 tackles over 12 starts. Saleh was his first NFL coordinator while Whitecotton served as the ''Niners' assistant defensive line coach. The three have reunited as the players around star DT Quinnen Williams have changed with the additions of Leki Fotu and Kinlaw.

"He said I had an opportunity and I'm all about opportunity," Kinlaw said of the fourth-year head coach. "I work very hard even though I've been through a lot. I've always worked super hard and the chips fall where they may, but I never gave up on myself. I've had a relationship with Saleh of course, Whitecotton as well, he was the assistant D-line coach when I was a rookie. So that played a part in it as well. I'm just looking to maximize every opportunity I get this year."

While Kinlaw has a new NFL home, he'll never forget the days when his family didn't have a home to call their own. Growing up with his mother, who is from Trinidad and Tobago, and his new older brothers, Kinlaw has in the past talked of living in northeast Washington, D.C., basements with no electricity and no running water. At the 2020 Senior Bowl, he recalled going to a neighbor's house to fill up totes of water before boiling water just to take a shower.

"I'm very religious," he said after the Jets' first padded workout. " I just talked to my Mom a lot and she… well my Mom and my family were really the reason. I had a lot of dark days and just to be able to touch that grass is a big blessing and I've been through a lot. Like for real. I've been through a lot. That's all I can really say, but I never gave up. A lot of people would have given up, but I never gave up."

Prior to training camp, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich expressed excitement about Kinlaw's potential on a very good unit.

"To bring a guy in like Javon Kinlaw, a big, explosive, violent athlete that in my opinion has not played his best football yet," he said. "The NFL does not know who this man can be, and he's about to show the entire world exactly who he is. In my opinion, that's a top D-tackle in this league."

A grateful Kinlaw has moved from taking snaps next to Javon Hargrave in San Fran to lining up next to Quinnen Williams in New York.

"I just love everybody, I love the guys," Kinlaw said. "It's a great team, a great overall atmosphere. Playing next to Quinnen is going to be amazing because I've been a big fan of his since I was in college, just a big, big fan. I love the way he power rushes, his two to ones, his counters, it's amazing. Just the way he plays the run is also amazing as well. His feet are always hot in the run game. I try to look at his game as much as I can to try to blend in into mine. I think I fit in very well, just another power game. I think I'm very explosive as well, just as much as everybody else that is on the D-line. I just can't wait to get to battle with these guys."

After loading up on his diet this offseason, Kinlaw remains famished to take his game to another level.

"I always dreamed of being a top guy," he said. "I still do, I'm super hungry for it."