The Green & White Jets held a walkthrough at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center on Wednesday after open practice was canceled due to inclement weather. HC Robert Saleh told reporters the "light practice' was to give players an opportunity to "get their legs back" before Thursday's joint practice against Washington.
"It is amazing some of the stuff you can get out of these practices," Saleh said about the upcoming joint session. "But the one thing we get excited about as a coaching staff is seeing our players compete against other people and to see what's real and what's not."
Following three intrasquad skirmishes at practice Tuesday and a series of fights between the Lions and Giants that resulted in fines at their joint practices, Saleh said that he is not worried about tempers affecting Thursday's joint practice.
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn, who was hired away from Dallas in February, has a strong relationship with Saleh dating to when they were on the staff in Seattle. In 2013, Quinn was HC Pete Carroll's defensive coordinator and Saleh was a defensive quality control coach for the eventual Super Bowl champion Seahawks.
"I know the way [Quinn] coaches and he knows the way we coach," Saleh said. "And I'm not overly concerned, are there going to be a couple of shoving matches? I'm sure, but you know our rule here, we do our best not to punch. I know we haven't been great at it here since yesterday, but that's the big rule."
DL Quinnen Williams added: If you throw a punch in a game, you're out of the game, so me, C.J. (Mosley), Sauce (Gardner), and Jermaine (Johnson), Quincy (Williams), and all of us leaders like that, we just speak to the defense, we're going into every single practice, every single day as to treat it as a game when it comes down to flags, when it comes down to execution, when it comes down to being consistent."
In addition, the Commanders come to town with a new look offense led by OC Kliff Kingsbury, hired by Washington in February, and QB Jayden Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick in April's NFL Draft.
Kingsbury, the Cardinals head coach from 2019-22, led Arizona to a top 10 offense in total yards in two of his four seasons there. Daniels, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, threw for 40 touchdowns and 4 interceptions his last season at LSU. Washington's new talent should give the Jets several unique looks Thursday.
"The practice will be a great opportunity to see new schemes," Saleh said. "It's a great opportunity to lean against different bodies. A lot of really good work can get done in these practices if you attack in a way to get better, and I think both teams will do that."
Williams said: "You got a great rookie quarterback coming in, you got two great receivers over there (Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson), got a great Alabama running back (Brian Robinson Jr.) over there, so going against those great football players on another team is going to be an unbelievable challenge and an unbelievable opportunity for iron to sharpen iron."
