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topicnews · October 16, 2024

Newly acquired wide receiver Davante Adams is expected to play for the Jets against the Steelers on Sunday night

Newly acquired wide receiver Davante Adams is expected to play for the Jets against the Steelers on Sunday night

FLORHAM PARK, NJ – Davante Adams will likely make his debut for the New York Jets on Sunday night in Pittsburgh.

The star wide receiver was acquired from Las Vegas on Tuesday, and Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said Wednesday that Adams should participate in the team’s walkthrough and play against the Steelers.

“I think so,” said Ulbrich. “Yes.”

Adams missed the Raiders’ last three games with a hamstring injury that coincided with his trade request. During his surprise appearance during quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday, Adams said he expects to play.

“I’m doing great, man,” Adams said. “Luckily I can roll.”

That means he and Rodgers will immediately renew their on-field connection, which was one of the greatest quarterback-wide receivers in recent NFL history. Adams caught 615 passes from Rodgers for 7,517 yards and 68 touchdowns in eight seasons together in Green Bay. This is the highest value of all combinations of active players in all three categories.

Adams, 31, caught 103 passes for 1,144 yards and eight touchdowns for the Raiders last season. It was his fifth 1,000-yard season in six years, broken only by 997 yards in 2019.

Adams caught 18 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown in three games with Las Vegas this season.

He will join a suddenly crowded Jets wide receiver group that includes Garrett Wilson, who leads New York with 41 receptions, Allen Lazard, Mike Williams, Xavier Gipson, Irvin Charles and rookie Malachi Corley. There are some questions about how new offensive lineman Todd Downing will be able to find roles for everyone while still integrating Adams into the system.

“It’s a really cool problem,” Ulbrich said. “It will give us the opportunity to be more flexible about where we use these people. Sometimes it’s based on the route concepts, sometimes it’s based on the matchups, but it gives us a lot of freedom to play around with how these guys line up.”

Williams, a free agent who signed last offseason, has been slow to build a relationship with Rodgers. He was the intended receiver when Rodgers threw interceptions in the Jets’ final offensive series in losses to Buffalo and Minnesota. Rodgers said Williams was in the wrong spot on the throw Taron Johnson made Monday night.

The arrival of Adams, in particular, clouds Williams’ role in the offense.

“I talked to Todd about it yesterday and this morning, and fortunately Todd is very good at marking plays for certain players and making sure everyone is involved in this offense,” Ulbrich said. “So, Todd is there. Every man will be integrated and every man will get his touches and his (chances) and every man will be introduced at times.”

Injuries

Ulbrich said Rodgers had to sit out Wednesday’s walkthrough while resting his bad left ankle. The 40-year-old quarterback was limited during the team’s first two practices last week before fully participating last Saturday. Ulbrich said Rodgers should be able to practice on Thursday and play on Sunday.

Cornerbacks DJ Reed (groin) and Michael Carter II (back) were not scheduled to practice Wednesday and could miss the game.

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