Sources: 3 leaders exit Jets’ performance dept.

Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff WriterMay 8, 2024, 08:07 PM ET
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The New York Jets‘ athletic care and performance department, created three years ago to combat a high injury rate, has undergone a shake-up in the aftermath of another injury-plagued season. Three experts hired to lead the department are no longer with the organization, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.

Gone is Brad DeWeese, who was named the director of high performance in March 2021. Also gone are his top lieutenants — Robert Sausaman, the assistant director of high performance, and Matt Sams, the director of sports science.

A Jets spokesman declined comment, saying the team doesn’t discuss the status of employees. The three departures weren’t performance-related, a source said. Sams left on his own accord, another source said.

The Jets still have a performance department that utilizes sports science and supplies information to the football operation, but the usage of that information will continue to evolve over time. They haven’t replaced DeWeese or Sausaman, according to the team’s website, but they hired Alexander Carnall as the sports science coordinator.

After an injury-plagued 2020 season, the Jets studied the issue and decided to make a bold move by hiring DeWeese and creating a performance department. The objective was to improve player safety by consolidating areas such as strength and conditioning, nutrition, rehab and mental performance.

The Jets’ 2023 season was defined by injuries, none bigger than quarterback Aaron Rodgers‘ torn Achilles on the fourth snap of the season. By the end of the season, the offensive line was decimated by injuries, which resulted in 13 different starting combinations. All told, 15 different linemen saw action. The Jets finished 7-10, ranking 31st in total yards.

After the season, general manager Joe Douglas discussed the injury problem. He said “certain injuries are unpreventable,” adding the Jets have done “a lot better job in terms of [preventing] soft-tissue injuries.”

But speaking of the line, he said, “Obviously, we’ve invested a lot of resources in that position. I know I’ve sat here and had conversations with you in the past about how much availability is of importance to this group, and for the last two years we’ve been banged up.”

Addressing the line, the Jets acquired three veteran starters this offseason — Morgan Moses, John Simpson and Tyron Smith — and used their first-round pick on left tackle Olu Fashanu.

The Jets haven’t made any changes to their strength and conditioning group, which is headed by Mike Nicolini. He was hired at the same time as DeWeese & Co. in 2021, Robert Saleh’s first season as head coach. The Jets are 18-33 under Saleh, ranking among the most injured teams over that span.