The Jets announced the signing of veteran linebacker Paul Worrilow on Tuesday.
Worrilow will add depth to a unit that has already lost five linebackers for the majority of the season. To give a glimpse of what the Jets’ current linebacker corp looks like, they started James Burgess and Brandon Copeland against the Miami Dolphins. It did not go well.
This is the second time this season that Worrilow has signed with an NFL team. He signed with the Baltimore Ravens at the end of August but requested his release a day after signing to decide his future in the NFL.
With that said, here are four things to know about the Jets’ newest defensive addition.
Joe Douglas Connection
When the Jets have needed depth at premiere positions this season, they have turned to past roots. That’s exactly what Joe Douglas did when he signed Paul Worrilow to the Jets’ active roster on Tuesday.
Worrilow signed with the Philadelphia Eagles back in April 2018. He tore his ACL during OTAs in May and was placed on season-ending injured reserve. The Eagles re-signed Worrilow for the 2019 season but he was ultimately released during final roster cuts.
No Division I Offers
Paul Worrilow’s only college scholarship offers coming out of high school were at the Division II level, so he decided to move to Coffeyville, Kansas.
He attended Concord High School in Wilmington, Delaware, where he made the 2006 First Team All-State on both offense and defense and the 2007 second team All-State as a fullback. He was named Delaware’s 2007 Defensive Player of the Year.
Worrilow attended Coffeyville Community College, a junior college known for getting athletes into Division I programs. In 2008, he walked on at the University of Delaware and quickly worked his way into a scholarship and starting spot.
How to Save a Life
In Spring 2011, Worrilow discovered that he had been a match to a female Leukemia patient in need of a life-saving blood stem cell donation.
Two years prior, Worrilow had signed up for the National Marrow Donor Program. The donation and act of kindness helped save the 23-year-old women’s life.
Falcons Career & Super Bowl Run
Paul Worrilow started his 2013 rookie campaign as one of the Atlanta Falcons’ rotational linebackers.
Eventually, he moved over to the strong side and secured his spot in the starting lineup. Over his first three seasons, he averaged 121 tackles per season.
In 2016, Worrilow battled a groin injury, lost his starting job and became a contributor on special teams for Atlanta. Worrilow was on the Falcons team that lost the 2016 Super Bowl to the Patriots, but he only appeared on special teams.
