Even without C.J. Mosley, New York Jets are confident with their linebackers

With C.J. Mosley opting out of the season, the New York Jets are still optimistic about their linebacker unit.

There has been so much focus on the revamped and rebuilt offense for the New York Jets that the defense sometimes gets overlooked. After linebacker C.J. Mosley opted out of the season, the questions arose about the linebacking corps. In a few days back on the football field, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and the Jets linebackers are chatting up how the unit is able to overcome the loss of an All-Pro player from their unit.

“(Williams) makes it complicated for offenses and the quarterback,” said linebacker Blake Cashman to reporters in a virtual conference call with the media on Monday.

“You know just how complex the blitz patterns can be how we disguise our zone man coverages. And then on top of that, he does a great job of just placing players where they play at their best.”

Cashman is in his second year with the Jets. Last season he stepped up when Mosley and Avery Williamson were lost to injury.

Linebacker Patrick Onwuasor, signed this offseason as a free agent from the Baltimore Ravens, will likely start in place of Mosley. With no preseason games scheduled, it would be hard for Cashman or Neville Hewitt to take a starting spot. Still, the Jets will need all the contributions of all the linebackers.

“If you look at our team from last year, we had a lot of injuries and a lot of guys stepped up and a lot of those same guys are back this year,” Hewitt told reporters Monday. “We always had the ‘next-man-up’ mentality. Those guys aren't here, but the guys that are here are buying into what we're teaching and grasp the concept and just step up during games.”

One injury concern for the Jets’ linebackers is James Burgess. Burgess left practice Monday after sustaining a non-contact lower back injury.

Last year, Burgess started 10 games and had 90 tackles, which is second on the team.

"This is one thing that we talk about as a staff all the time," Gase said on his conference call on Monday.

"Injuries occur. We have the ‘next-man-up’ philosophy. We try to put our players in the best position possible. When guys do go down and 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 and sometimes it's through trial and error. Sometimes it's proven to us that you can do something, or you can't. That comes through the entire time of training camp. When we hit the season, we should have a pretty good feel of who can do what and who we can use."

The Jets say Burgess is day-to-day and hope to have more information on the injury as the week progresses.