Jets Notes: Jermaine Johnson’s return, Allen Lazard’s future, Jamien Sherwood a ‘true QB of the defense’

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn discussed a number of different players on Monday at the NFL Owners Meetings.

Here are some of the key takeaways…

On Sherwood re-signing

While the new Jets front office let numerous different players walk in free agency this offseason, they did retain a big piece on defense -- re-signing linebacker Jamien Sherwood to a three-year deal. 

Sherwood is one of the feel-good stories around this club as he went from being a late-round draft pick and battling his way back from injury to developing into a true weapon in the middle of their defense. 

He’s coming off a season in which he made a career-high 158 tackles. 

“He’s a good communicator, he can run, he has coverage ability,” Glenn said. “You watch him on tape and the that he talks and reacts to the players around him, and the way the players react to him lets you know he’s a true quarterback of the defense. 

“We want to make sure we have that on defense, so getting him was critical for us to continue to build this defense.”

On Brandon Stephens signing in New York

Stephens is one of the big additions Gang Green made to their defense. 

The 27-year-old started every game over the past two seasons for the Baltimore Ravens, and now he lands in the Big Apple where he’ll start alongside one of the top corners in the game in Sauce Gardner for the next three years. 

While Stephens has some flaws to his game, Glenn is excited about his potential. 

“Big, physical man corner,” he said. “Can deny the ball as we saw with a lot of the PBU’s that he had. The one thing he has to work on, which we already know is creating turnovers, but we will work on that. 

“When you have two big guys on corners like we have, that creates a lot of issues for an offense, we want to make sure we utilize that as much as possible.”

On Allen Lazard’s future

With Aaron Rodgers gone, many expected the Jets to move on from Lazard this offseason. 

The veteran receiver was brought in shortly before they acquired Rodgers in a blockbuster deal with the Packers and the hope was that they’d be able to carryover the chemistry they showed throughout their time in Green Bay. 

But things haven’t quite gone as planned -- and many expected them to part ways. 

However, GM Darren Mougey told reporters on Monday at the Annual Meetings that the team is exploring a possible restructure of Lazard’s contract and they are hoping to be able to retain him next year.

Glenn is also in favor of it. 

“Anytime you have a player of that magnitude,” he said. “He’s a really good blocker. I played against him a number of times when he was in Green Bay, I know what he brings to the table. Hopefully something works out, but we understand how this business is. 

"If it doesn’t it doesn’t, but if it does we’ll utilize his talent the way we need to.”

On Jermaine Johnson’s return from injury

Johnson is a player who Glenn is familiar with dating back to his college days.

The long-time defensive coordinator actually was part of the coaching staff that work with him back at the Senior Bowl during the pre-draft process. 

Johnson went down with a devastating season-ending Achilles injury last year, but he’s been grinding over the past few months to work his way back to 100 percent by the time the regular season comes around. 

“I know what he brings to the table,” Glenn said. “He’s has been working his ass off to get back to where he used to be. He has a lot of confidence in who he is and we have a lot of confidence in him, so we’re looking forward to him getting back.”

The 26-year-old recorded 7.5 sacks and was named to the Pro Bowl when he was last healthy.