Now that the 2019 NFL schedule has been released, a handful of the Jets’ offseason acquisitions can circle specific games on their calendar.
Five of New York’s newest players will be taking on their former team this upcoming season. For some, a showdown with the organization they once called home will be a grudge match. For others, it will be a pleasant reunion with familiar faces.
Let’s take a look at which new Jets will square off with their former team in 2019.
Le’Veon Bell
For the first time in his NFL career, Bell will be suiting up for someone other than the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019.
Bell’s departure from Pittsburgh was highly-publicized and the method in which he handled his contract dispute with the team was criticized by many, including some of his former teammates.
With this in mind, New York’s Week 16 showdown with the Steelers will be personal for Bell. After all that transpired this past year, the All-Pro tailback will have his sights set on proving that the Steelers made a mistake in not meeting his contractual demands.
C.J. Mosley
Bell will not be the only new Jet to reunite with his former AFC North team in 2019. However, Mosley’s Week 15 reunion with the Baltimore Ravens will be far more pleasant than Bell’s with the Steelers.
Mosley was beloved in Baltimore for his leadership and production on the gridiron. It took a lot of money to convince Mosley to leave the team that drafted him, but there are not any sour grapes surrounding the Alabama product’s departure.
Expect Mosley to exchange pleasantries with former head coach Jim Harbaugh and a handful of his teammates prior to kickoff.
Ty Montgomery
Montgomery will join Mosley in his reunion with the Ravens. However, his reunion will be far less emotional than his defensive counterpart’s.
Montgomery only spent half the season in Baltimore. That’s not to say he didn’t form strong bonds and lifelong friendships in his time with the team, but it’s safe to assume his emotional attachment to the organization isn’t all that strong given his short tenure with the Ravens.
Jamison Crowder
Last offseason, Terrelle Pryor had the chance to take on the Redskins months after leaving Washington in an offseason scrimmage. In 2019, Jamison Crowder will have the chance to do it for real.
In Week 11, the Jets will travel to Washington and Crowder will line up in the slot against his former team. Crowder’s usage with the Redskins was peculiar at times and it could be argued he deserved a bigger role in Jay Gruden’s offense.
In New York, Crowder will be a key target for Sam Darnold. Expect a big game out of Gang Green’s newest wideout.
Kelechi Osemele
Osemele is the only player on his list that was not a free agent signing. As a result, he might have as much to prove as anyone when the Jets host the Oakland Raiders in Week 12.
Osemele has spent the offseason working hard to get in shape in order to bounce back from an injury-riddled 2018 campaign. The Raiders no longer saw his worth, though, and shipped him off to New York to free up salary cap space.
Doubt from the Raiders and the hunger to succeed with the Jets will fuel Osemele against his former team. Throughout his career, Osemele has been lauded as a mauler on the offensive line. It’s safe to assume his physicality at the point of attack will go up a notch against Oakland.
.jpg?w=600)
