Haason Reddick is ready to go.
The star edge rusher will make his New York Jets debut Sunday against the New England Patriots, interim coach Jeff Ulbrich announced Friday. New York then announced that it activated Reddick on Saturday.
Reddick ended his lengthy contract holdout when he reported to the team Monday and was removed from the reserve/did not report list. He practiced all week and the Jets liked what they saw from him.
“Had a good week of work with us,” Ulbrich said. “He’s just such an experienced guy. He’s been in so many systems, so to pick up ours wasn’t super difficult for him. He really put in the extra time to learn it and, physically, he looked good out there.
“So, we’re excited about what he’ll contribute to our rush group.”
Ulbrich said Reddick will not have a specific snap count limit in his first game.
“He feels like he’s in good shape,” Ulbrich said. “And although he hasn’t been doing a whole lot of football stuff in a football capacity, he’s been doing a lot of position-specific stuff with pass rush specialists, and he’s been doing conditioning and lifting, obviously. So we’ll just kind of play it by ear.
“I think a big part of that’s just going to kind of observe him on game day and see what he’s capable of doing.”
It’s the second game in a row during which a big-name player will make his debut with the Jets after wide receiver Davante Adams played last Sunday night, five days after being acquired from Las Vegas.
The 30-year-old Reddick joins a pass rush that ranks sixth in the NFL with 20 sacks, including a career-high eight by second-year edge rusher Will McDonald.
“As we all know, we’re at our best when we rush four,” Ulbrich said. “And he’ll allow us to do that.”
Reddick had double-digit sacks totals in each of the last four seasons, but one knock on the two-time Pro Bowl selection is that he wasn’t as stout in the running game because he was fully focused on getting to the quarterback.
“Hassan, I’m going to give him a clean slate being here,” Ulbrich said. “And this week, he’s done a tremendous job of playing the run, setting edges, arm over and back, getting to the ball. … So that’s what I’m judging him based on his time here. And he’s done an excellent job so far, definitely in practice.”
Defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton said Thursday that Reddick was “very businesslike” in his approach to picking up the Jets’ terminology on defense and the team ramped up his practice snaps throughout the week.
“He adds a lot to the pass rush to get to the quarterback,” cornerback Sauce Gardner said. “No matter what it is, find a way to get to the quarterback and being effective in the run game as well. He just offers you a lot of versatility, so I’m looking forward to taking the field with him on Sunday.”
Reddick’s last game was Philadelphia‘s loss to Tampa Bay in the playoffs on Jan. 15. He asked to be traded during the offseason because the Eagles declined to give him a new deal. The Jets acquired Reddick in March with the understanding he’d play on his existing contract before negotiating a new one with him, but the edge rusher showed up on April 1 for his physical and then didn’t return to the facility until this week.
He was placed on the reserve/did not report list on July 25, the second day of the team’s training camp and requested to be traded on Aug. 12. Reddick recently switched agents and new representatives Drew Rosenhaus and Ryan Matha spoke to the Jets about allowing Reddick to pursue a trade, which New York granted. But then the sides came to an agreement last Sunday on an adjusted contract for this season, with the goal of working on a long-term deal.
Reddick declined to speak to reporters this week, saying through the team’s public relations staff that he instead would talk after the game Sunday.
“Hate me now, love me later,” Reddick posted on his Instagram page Thursday night. “I’m still gone be me.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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