For Adam Gase, navigating this offseason is planning for the unexpected to happen

In an offseason like no other, New York Jets head coach Adam Gase is preparing for the unexpected to happen.

All summer long, New York Jets head coach Adam Gase had time on his hands. OTAs and mini-camp were canceled and as such, Gase was stuck away from the facility. With that time, Gase and his staff set forth to be as flexible as possible in a most unusual of offseasons.

He and the coaches outlined a detailed plan of how the roster and depth chart would look, one that obviously had to change with recent personnel moves such as a blockbuster trade and players opting out of the season due to COVID-19.

“I think that's a lot of time that comes into play when you lose guys and you refuse to change what you're doing, and it might not be best for them,” Gase said Monday on a Zoom call. “That's when you're in trouble. When you're willing to adapt what you're doing to the players you have, that's the key to getting the most out of guys that technically might not have been the starter originally but now they are, and you have to do everything you can to put them in the best position.”

Shortly before camp began, Jamal Adams was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in a blockbuster deal. Then, four players opted out of the NFL season as part of the COVID-19 related agreement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association. Wide receiver Josh Doctson and linebacker C.J. Mosley were the most notable.

Since camp has been going, rookie wideout Denzel Mims has been hurt. The Jets went out and signed former New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers receiver Chris Hogan to add depth.

Monday they learned that 24-year-old wide receiver Vyncint Smith is out five to eight weeks after having surgery on his core.

“This is one thing that we talk about as a staff all the time where no injuries occur. We have the ‘next man up’ philosophy,” Gase said.

“We try to put our players in the best position possible. So when guys do go down, when we do have some kind of change, we can't flinch as coaches. We just adjust what we're doing. We do everything we can to put those guys in the best position possible. Sometimes it's through trial and error. Sometimes it's ‘Hey, prove to us that you either can do something or you can’t.’ You know, that comes through the entire time of training camp.”

Gase is trying to arm third-year quarterback Sam Darnold with many passing options. Mims is penciled in at that third receiver slot. Also, the return of tight end Chris Herndon provides options for Darnold even as there have been a handful of roster changes affecting depth on both sides of the ball.