The New York Jets surprised everyone by signing free agent center Ryan Kalil on August 1. The reason it was so surprising is because Kalil was retired. However, that's a major signing as he was still one of the better centers in the NFL last season.
Not having the full offseason to get in playing shape though, Kalil needed some time to get acclimated. It appears that time is up and he's ready to go.
According to Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com, the center will be making his team debut on Saturday in their preseason week 3 game against the New Orleans Saints.
This makes a lot of sense. That means Kalil was given three weeks to get into the right shape and get himself familiar with the playbook, schemes and so on.
Now, is he totally ready? Probably not. However, he's had enough time to get the basics down. Now the Jets can throw him into a preseason game and let him get some real-game experience with the team.
It's telling that he's only getting a quarter in game three of the preseason, when starters tend to get the most time. This indicates that the Jets don't want to overwork him and really ease him back into everything.
If all goes well, it will be interesting to see what the Jets feel the next step is. Will they give him a little more time in the game if they feel he could use it? Or will everything go to plan?
Then will they play him in week 4 of the preseason (a game usually relegated to backups for the most part)? Or will they feel Kalil is ready for week 1 already?
Either way, it's exciting to see Ryan Kalil back on the field. He's been one of the best centers in the NFL for a long time and now is a part of a solid offensive line on the New York Jets to protect young franchise quarterback Sam Darnold.
Even if it's just for one quarter in the entire preseason, the fans should be happy to see him.
Follow Us
Subscribe