LB Jamien Sherwood ready for starting opportunity on Jets defense after bulking up

After he was drafted in the fifth round in 2021, the Jets told Jamien Sherwood to add weight as they converted him from safety to linebacker.

At the time, Sherwood weighed 212 pounds coming out of Auburn.

Now he checks in at 234 pounds after eating five meals daily to add weight to become an NFL linebacker.

“I don’t have to eat that many meals now,” Sherwood said. “That was just more of a bulking phase just trying to get up there. Now it is just about maintaining.

“Now, I eat about three meals a day and for me, I have a fast metabolism, so going to sleep, I might wake up five pounds lighter. Right now, I just try to eat a lot of carbs with those meals. Oatmeal, toast for breakfast, rice and mashed potatoes for dinner.”

During his ‘bulking phase,’ Sherwood’s day would begin with a pre-workout smoothie and then another smoothie after. For lunch, he would have multiple chicken sandwiches and mashed potatoes.

An evening workout would be followed by dinner and another protein shake.

“Once I sat down with our nutritionist, our strength and conditioning staff, it taught me about all of this,” Sherwood said. “Trying to eat those five meals a day, it was a job because it is all about being consistent.

“When I’m on that third sandwich or whatever it is, you’re just like ‘agh,’ but I think about me trying to get in the game and playing and stuff and I force it down.

“But it’s a job.”

Because of Sherwood’s hard work and dedication on and off the field, he is now projected to be the Jets starting weakside linebacker alongside C.J. Mosley and Quincy Williams.

During his first two seasons in the league, Sherwood played sparingly. In 22 games, he’s registered 31 tackles. He was limited to five games during his rookie campaign after tearing his Achilles tendon in Week 7 of the 2021 season. Sherwood returned in 2022 and played in all 17 games last season and logged 25 snaps at linebacker.

After not re-signing Kwon Alexander, who had 69 tackles in 2022, the Jets will rely on Sherwood heavily as he will try to help Gang Green’s defense continue to improve after the unit finished fourth in yards and points allowed last season.

Jets coaches have also taken notice of Sherwood’s growth.

“You talk about a guy that defines intent every day, he is so deliberate in all that he does,” Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said about Sherwood. “He’s ready to take that step.

“Typically, in my experience, because this defense puts so much stress, especially from an athletic standpoint, on the linebackers, when you convert these guys from safeties, corners, nickels, whatever the case may be, typically takes a couple of years for them to really grasp playing linebacker.

“I really feel like he’s starting to feel like a real authentic linebacker out there, so I’m excited for this preseason, for him to really demonstrate that he’s taken that next step and he’s become a real guy for us.”

Not only did Sherwood learn how to play the weakside linebacker position, which is known as the WILL, but he also learned the MIKE (middle linebacker) and SAM (strongside linebacker) spots as well. Throughout training camp, Sherwood has shown versatility as he’s played at the MIKE and WILL linebacker positions.

Because of his knowledge, the Jets have the option to plug Sherwood into any of the three linebacker spots.

Mosley’s contract — which carries a cap hit of $21.4 million — with the Jets expires in 2024. If the Jets decide to move on from Mosley in the coming years, Sherwood would be a prime candidate to replace him as he continues to work on his communication skills on the field since leaving college.

“I feel like I’ve come far,” Sherwood said. “I feel like I’ve made a great transition just from the standpoint of not knowing anything to just about feeling like I know everything on the field. The people that I have around me, the people who have been in my corner to help bring me up and uplift me, it just made the transition easier and smoother. And I feel like I’m ready to go at this point.

“Coming in as a safety, I didn’t know anything, where to lineup, run gaps, things like that. The last three years, I just had time to sit back and actually watch film and understand what’s going on in front of me.”