Duane Brown is new to the Jets, but he found a number of familiar faces waiting for him when he joined the team this week.
Brown will play left tackle, which moves his former Seahawks teammate George Fant to right tackle. He was also teammates with cornerback D.J. Reed in Seattle and offensive line coach/run-game coordinator John Benton was his first NFL position coach in Houston. Jets head coach Robert Saleh was also an assistant with the Texans at that point and Brown said all of that matched with the younger players he’s getting to know has him feeling bullish about what’s ahead.
“I think the Jets have a lot of young talent with potential,” Brown said, via the team’s website. “I worked with Coach Saleh in Houston early in our careers and I always had a lot of respect for him. He was quiet as an assistant back then, I was young and wasn’t as vocal either. Before I got here, a lot of guys talked about how great he was. Along with a lot of potential here, what I can bring is my ability and veteran presence. I feel we can do great things.”
On top of the familiar people, the Jets also run a zone blocking scheme that Brown knows from his time with the Texans. Brown said that he “loved it because it fits my traits perfectly” and that should speed his transition to his new team.
That process won’t include participation in joint practices with the Falcons this week or Monday’s preseason game, but full participation in practice is expected to get underway next week.