What We Learned in 3 Weeks

S Calvin Pryor, the Jets' first-round pick, suffered a concussion on the third day of practice at SUNY Cortland and spent about a week recovering from the injury. The red, no-contact jersey came off on Aug. 4, but Pryor was held out of the preseason opener against the Colts on Aug. 7. He's back now, and said he is looking to being an enforcer in the defensive backfield: "I'm still going to be aggressive and play football how I know how to play football once I get back out there with the guys."

DT Sheldon Richardson, the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, and the defensive line looks to improve from a nice season last year. D-line coach Karl Dunbar knows how to get the most out of his linemen: Muhammad Wilkerson had 10.5 sacks last year, Damon "Snacks" Harrison came out of nowhere with a spectacular season at the nose tackle position and Richardson garnered league-wide recognition using his athleticism. What we've learned from camp this year is that they'll set the pace on the defense. 

After a hot start to camp, WR Stephen Hill has cooled off a bit. In the preseason opener he was held to no receptions and in the last week of practice, he's dropped a couple of passes. Hill, entering his third season, has shown flashes of the receiver he can be during the three weeks of training camp at SUNY Cortland. 

Rookie TE Jace Amaro tweaked his knee toward the beginning of camp and struggled a bit out of the gate. In recent practices, though, he's started to put it together. In the game against Indianapolis, the second-round pick played the most of any skill position player and had two receptions for 18 yards. He's been working on his run-blocking ability during training camp, and has the ability to be a threat for opposing defenses 

RB Bilal Powell was slowed up during training camp while nursing a hamstring injury. The versatile back is expected to be a key contributed to the three-man show at running back with Chris Johnson and Chris Ivory. While he's not exactly sure quite yet about his role in the offense, he knows he'll make the most of his opportunities: "I just know whenever my number is called, I just try to go out and show up."

A key free agent signing during this offseason, Eric Decker got off to a quick start, catching nearly every pass thrown his way. He garnered praise for his route-running abilities from QB Michael Vick. A few nagging injuries, however, have kept Decker limited in practice as camp winded down. 

LB Jason Babin joined the Jets on the second day of training camp after signing with the team the day before. A skilled pass rusher, Babin increases the Jets' ability to get to the quarterback. He said it's taken him some time to learn the terminology of the defense, but added that it's still football: "The unique thing or special thing about [head coach Rex Ryan and defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman] is how they tailor blitzes and plays to what they have for the personnel," he said. "This player can do this, 'Well, let's get him do that…We're going to put him in that situation for him to succeed.' So it's a pretty cool thing to see."

Throughout his career in football, DB Antonio Allen had never played cornerback. As of Monday, he was lined up on the outside as injuries to the top three cornerbacks (Dee Milliner, Dexter McDougle and Dimitri Patterson) really hurt the depth of the position. Allen, however, accepted the challenge and flourished in his first day playing corner, intercepting two passes.

RB Chris Johnson, who spent a big portion of the offseason recovering from knee surgery, could end up being considered the steal of free agency. He looked explosive during training camp, which was one of the question marks he had after his surgery. While receiving "pitch count" days from head coach Rex Ryan during camp, Johnson has remained fresh in the backfield. He scored the only touchdown for the Jets in a 13-10 win over Indianapolis in the preseason opener. 

Unfortunately for the youngsters in the Jets secondary, Sunday's practice was one filled with injuries. 2014 Third-round pick Dexter McDougle, right, tore his ACL. Approximately 30 minutes later, second-year CB Dee Milliner, who was showing flashes of brilliance, rolled his ankle attempting to defend a pass intended for rookie WR Quincy Enunwa. Milliner's status is still unknown as his ankle was too swollen to get an MRI. The injuries led to DB Antonio Allen moving to cornerback for a few practices and the signing of well-traveled LeQuan Lewis.