FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — The way Todd Downing sees it, Davante Adams' arrival means he'll be able to cook up even more for the New York Jets' offense.
With a heaping helping of Adams catching passes from Aaron Rodgers, of course.
“As a chef, you would want a bunch of ingredients, right?” said Downing, who replaced Nathaniel Hackett last week as the Jets' offensive play caller. “You wouldn’t want to stand in a kitchen and be looking for something in the cupboard. So it’s a good problem to have that we have all these really cool ingredients.”
Adams was acquired from Las Vegas on Tuesday and expects to play Sunday night at Pittsburgh, renewing his on-field connection with Rodgers. The two were teammates in Green Bay for eight seasons, with Adams catching 615 passes for 7,517 yards and 68 touchdowns from Rodgers during that time.
That pre-existing rapport should give Adams an advantage in quickly getting up to speed with the Jets' offense.
“Yeah, certainly ahead of the curve,” said Downing, New York's pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. “Being able to do that Spanish-to-English with Aaron, I think is something that is really going to benefit him. They can even go back to old signals they had together to help remind them of things, so they have that connection and that chemistry.”
The challenge now for Downing is trying to fully maximize the talent he has on the roster, which also includes wide receivers Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard and Mike Williams, running backs Breece Hall and Braelon Allen and tight end Tyler Conklin.
“Just tell Aaron to throw to the open guy,” Downing said with a smile. “That's the easy part.”
He was joking, but the Jets' offense — ranked No. 22 overall — should get a considerable boost from Adams. It also clouds the role of some of the playmakers already on the roster.
While Wilson should be the primary beneficiary of Adams' presence because he'll likely see fewer double teams, Williams could see fewer snaps and might now be expendable. An offseason free agent signing, Williams was having trouble connecting with Rodgers, who has been intercepted on the Jets' final offensive series in the past two games on throws to the former Chargers wide receiver.
On Monday night against Buffalo, Rodgers appeared to slightly underthrow Williams and his toss was intercepted by a diving Taron Johnson. The quarterback later said Williams was not in the right spot.
Williams sat out the team's walkthrough Wednesday and practice Thursday for what the Jets said was for personal reasons, fueling speculation he could be on his way out in a potential trade. Downing said he has no concerns about Williams’ focus.
“Mike’s a pro,” he said.
Williams was with the team during the initial stretching period Thursday and then moved to the trainers area.
“We use different personnel groupings and we find different ways to tag guys to get different combinations of receivers in there and that,” said Downing, who has spoken to Williams in the past about his role. "So I know that he’s seen that and felt that. That’s, again, a part of the ingredients, right?
“We have an accomplished wide receivers room right now and you hope everybody feels that there’s been some intentionality and purpose in how we’re putting the plan together.”
Downing said he and the Jets would see how the week played out before determining how much Adams would play Sunday. The star receiver is coming off a hamstring injury that sidelined him for three games before the trade. Adams was a full participant during the team's first full practice Thursday.
“Obviously, he’s dynamic with the ball in his hands, right?” Downing said. “And so finding ways to get him the football is going to be fun to do. I think his understanding of the game, his savviness, his football IQ, knowing where he fits in zones, knowing how to attack defenses, diagnosing coverages — I think that’s all a premium.”
Injuries
Rodgers was a full participant, as expected, after sitting out the walkthrough on Wednesday. ... CBs D.J. Reed (groin), and Michael Carter II (ankle) didn't practice and could miss the game. ... TE Tyler Conklin (hip), DE Will McDonald (shoulder), RT Morgan Moses (knee) and LT Tyron Smith (veteran rest day) were limited. ... LB Chazz Surratt (heel) fully practiced a day after being listed as limited.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Dennis Waszak Jr., The Associated Press
