After sitting out seven games, Haason Reddick will finally take the field in a Jets uniform on Sunday against the Patriots.
The former Eagles linebacker, who ended his contract holdout Sunday and reported to the team Monday, had a practice Wednesday and two full practices on Thursday and Friday.
The Jets wanted to give Reddick a few days to settle in before confirming his availability.
After Friday’s practice, interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich confirmed that Reddick is scheduled to play on Sunday.
“He had a good week with us,” Ulbrich said. “He is a very experienced person. [He’s] Having worked with so many systems, choosing ours wasn’t that difficult for him. So he did a good job of it, put in the extra time to learn it and looked good physically.”
Ulbrich added that there will be no snap count restrictions as the Jets plan to “play by ear.”
“He hasn’t done a lot in football, but he’s done a lot at certain positions with pass rush specialists,” Ulbrich said. “He’s been doing conditioning and lifting. Naturally, we will play by ear. A big part of it is just [to] Watch him on game day and see what he can do.”
Reddick is working on a reworked contract that will recoup some of the $12 million in fines and missed game checks he racked up during the holdout period.
He reached a turning point for the Jets, who have seen a lot of changes since he last played the Patriots, including a 24-3 win in Week 3.
Robert Saleh was fired and Davante Adams was added to Aaron Rodgers’ options list in an effort to spark a struggling offense.
Now they are welcoming team members who were supposed to arrive months ago.
Despite this, Ulbrich said it was “one of the better weeks” around Jets camp regarding preparation following the 37-15 loss to the Steelers.
The defense will also be strengthened with the return of cornerbacks Michael Carter II (back) and DJ Reed (groin) from injuries.
Sauce Gardner said having Reddick, who has 50.5 sacks over the last four seasons, alongside Will McDonald, who is second in the league with eight sacks, and two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams will help the secondary. It took a long time to find the receiver.
“I’m very humble. A very humble guy,” Gardner said of Reddick. “He just came here ready to learn. It’s not that I’m arrogant or anything. We had already met each other at the Pro Bowl a minute earlier, so we were already familiar with each other. He adds a lot. Whatever it was, he passed the rush to get to the quarterback, found a way to get to the quarterback, and was effective in the run game as well. He offers a variety of possibilities.”
The Jets will need this information as they still face a must-win hypothetical game to make the playoffs.
