The Jets closed out the preseason with a 6-0 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night at MetLife Stadium. The win was rather uneventful, but a rookie did make a strong case for significant playing time this season.
Linebacker Blake Cashman was making plays all over the field against the Eagles, both in coverage and defending against the run. For his efforts, Cashman is Jets Wire’s Player of the Game for Week 4 of the preseason.
Cashman had six total tackles on the game, five of which were solo and one of which was for a loss. Cashman also forced a fumble on Eagles running back Wendell Smallwood, which was recovered by Frankie Luvu.
The rookie linebacker out of Minnesota has been nothing short of impressive in training camp and in the preseason. Cashman is undersized, but his motor and effort makes up for that, as he’s still able to make big-time plays.
Cashman probably won’t be the starting linebacker alongside C.J. Mosley in Week 1, but Gregg Williams will find ways to put him in some sub-packages. The one thing that Cashman has over projected starting linebacker Neville Hewitt is that he’s much better in pass coverage.
For now, Cashman will be Hewitt’s backup for the foreseeable future. However, the Jets know they have something in him and it wouldn’t be surprising if he finds himself in the mix for a starting job by the end of the season with Avery Williamson out for the year.
