New York Jets Flight Connections 06/07/26

Nov 23, 1997; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; FILE PHOTO; New York Jets running back Adrian Murrell (29) and receiver Wayne Chrebet (80) in action against Minnesota Vikings safety Robert Griffith (24) at Giants Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lou Capozzola-USA TODAY NETWORK

Happy Sunday, Jets fans!

Below are your daily links.

Michael Nania – Here’s where NY Jets’ top defensive trio ranks across the NFL

Joe Blewett – NY Jets film session: What does Kingsley Enagbare offer the DL?

Connor Long – The key difference between NY Jets’ 2025 and 2026 rosters

Connor Long – Is Darren Mougey the NY Jets’ Leon Rose?

Nick Faria – Jets’ Revolving Door at Kicker Could Finally Be Over

Nick Faria – What Jets Fans Should Make of David Bailey’s Quiet OTAs

Justin Melo – Sports Illustrated ranks Jets’ backup QB spot (and it’s not pretty)

Justin Melo – Nahshon Wright is the wild card of the Jets’ cornerback position

Jake Elman – The Athletic dropped a stunning take on the Jets’ Sauce Gardner trade

Jake Elman – Sports Illustrated just made a bold Arch Manning-Jets prediction

Mike Luciano – Jets fans have to question Justin Fields’ spot in backup quarterback rankings

Charlie Baduini – NFL draft expert says league is going to regret letting Jets get seventh-round steal

Charlie Baduini – Jets draft pick’s Super Bowl MVP uncle believes defense is ready to break out

Justin Fried – Garrett Wilson is on the verge of making Jets history again in 2026

Derek Praschak – Demario Davis receives high praise from long-time Jets rival

Here are your missed connections from yesterday.

Have a great day!

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One question will define J.K. Dobbins’ impact: Can he stay healthy?

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 21: J.K. Dobbins #27 of the Denver Broncos on field against the Los Angeles Chargers during the NFL 2025 game at SoFi Stadium on September 21, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Good morning, Broncos Country!

Health is always a significant vulnerability for teams and sports.

What makes matters worse is that you can neither predict them nor prevent them. You can do your best to prepare and train, but injuries are inevitable.

For the Denver Broncos, that’s seen in running back J.K. Dobbins. When he’s on the field, he’s one of the best backs in the NFL. We saw that through the first 10 games of his first season in Denver.

The issue is that Dobbins can’t stay on the field. There’s no doubt he’s been struck by fluke injuries over the course of his career. Heck, his Lisfranc injury last season in Week 10 against the Las Vegas Raiders falls into the “fluke” category. But whenever you discuss Dobbins, you can’t avoid health as a major topic.

His health is also one of the main drivers of the Broncos’ success on offense and as a team this season.

If Dobbins gets and stays on the field, Denver could have one of the best offenses in the league. Thus, the Broncos will become a serious contender.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton was asked about Dobbins and his confidence in the running back staying healthy this week at OTAs:

“I think this, though. I think if you just take (running) backs around the league, and you understand the length … The season is not getting any shorter; it’s getting longer. He was a big part of our success a year ago. I think certainly where we’re at with that running back room today, we feel like is further along than maybe when we first got here. So he’s one of those compound multipliers. There’s so much that he brings … You usually hear him before you see him in there, probably sometimes out here. (Laughs) He’s a tremendous teammate, and yes, I’m glad he’s with us.”

"We got an embarrassment of riches with talent on this team."#Broncos RB JK Dobbins joins The Insiders on @NFLNetwork to talk about re-signing in Denver, his road back to the field, and his team's newest addition. pic.twitter.com/5DBauauB4x

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 24, 2026

Dobbins acknowledged and discussed his unfortunate injury luck in an interview with The Insiders in late March. It was the same interview where he said the Broncos had an embarrassment of riches on offense.

“When I went down, when I got hurt, I think I was third or fourth in total rushing yards in the NFL,” Dobbins said in the interview. “The thing that hurt my feelings the most was knowing I was right there in the grasp of something special, especially since the injury thing has been so unfortunate for me.

“When you look at some people, you say ‘injury prone.’ You get the rolled ankles, the hamstring strains, whatever you’re getting. The stuff I’m getting is like, done for the season, let’s get some surgery. It’s like ‘dang, why am I getting these unfortunate things?’ But I’m going to always keep going.”

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Odell Beckham Jr. wastes no time back in New York, takes entire receiver room for expensive steak dinner

Odell Beckham Jr. dinner

Odell Beckham Jr. is wasting no time back in the Big Apple.

Just days after reuniting with the Giants, the veteran receiver took the entire team’s wide receiver room to 4 Charles Prime Rib Steakhouse in New York City.

Giants wideout Calvin Austin III posted a TikTok video Thursday night of the group at the steakhouse with the caption: “Wideout dinner vibes.”

Leader: New Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. took the team’s entire WR group out to the 4 Charles Prime Rib steakhouse in New York City.

OBJ has brought immediate leadership to the room.

A true role model on and off the field pic.twitter.com/AcYD5wRiNq

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) June 5, 2026

Beckham Jr., 33, signed with the Giants on Monday after not playing for a team last season.

It’s a reunion long in the making for the Giants, as the wideout starred with them from 2014-18, rising to fame with a spectacular one-handed catch as a rookie.

Even with injuries plaguing him late in his tenure, Beckham notched four 1,000-yard-plus seasons with Big Blue, including a career-high 1,450 receiving yards in 2015.

Beckham formed a strong connection with quarterback and two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning, serving as a downfield threat for the signal caller. Both played a pivotal role in the Giants 2016 success, where the team went 11-5 and made the playoffs for the first time since 2011.

Less than a year before Manning retired, the Giants shipped Beckham to the Browns for safety Jabrill Peppers and draft picks, one of which became superstar Dexter Lawrence.

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (3) participates in drills during organized team activities at Quest Diagnostics Training Center on June 3. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Since leaving Cleveland after 2021, the wideout has bounced around the league, winning a Super Bowl with the Rams in 2022 before making stops with the Ravens and Dolphins.

Beckham hasn’t eclipsed 600 yards since 2019, but the Giants are hoping he can be a solid depth piece for emerging and second-year quarter Jaxson Dart, who showed promise in his rookie season.

Odell Beckham (13) catches a pass for a touchdown during the third quarter of a game at MetLife Stadium on December 2, 2018. Paul J. Bereswill

He joins a wide receiver room featuring 2024 first-round pick Malik Nabers, who’s recovering from injury, Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney and others including JuJu Smith-Schuster, who also signed with the team Monday.

The Giants look to improve upon their woeful 4-13 season last year, and start the campaign at home against the Cowboys on Sept. 13.

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Lam laments Bristol Bears' injury-hit season

Pat Lam is coming to the end of his 10th season at the helm of the Bristol Bears [Getty Images]

Bristol Bears director of rugby Pat Lam says that "freakish" injuries have played their part in his side not making the Prem Rugby play-offs this season.

The Bears are sixth going into the final day, but can't make the final four after results went against them last weekend.

A win against Sale on the final day could see the Bears finish inside the top five for the fourth straight season.

The New Zealander told BBC Radio Radio Bristol: "It's not just the injuries, it's the availability, we have had players missing six, seven, eight games at a time.

"Two clubs could have two injuries each. One would lose those players for three games, the other loses those players for 20 games between them.

"It's been pretty freakish, so hopefully we have better luck next season. Unfortunately in sport these things can happen."

Lam also said that the club had looked through video footage of every single injury, calling many of them "unlikely".

"We have data going back nine years, and the medical guys are able to go back and compare everything.

"Every player is different, and every body is different, sometimes it is just bad luck.

"Joe Batley dislocated his thumb lifting a player up when it caught in his shorts, and we lost him for six weeks. We had three players in the space of a couple of weeks get hit in the contact and did their knee or ankle.

"We had a situation with Gab [Oghre] covering back where he jumped to avoid a falling player and twisted his knee on a 4G pitch.

"In the same game, Ben Grondoma went to make a tackle and as he stretched out of his way, someone fell on his arm."

• Bristol keep season alive with tense win over Bath

'Chunks of experience' ready to return

As is so often the case, injuries can also open doors to those waiting in the wings, and Lam has seen a silver lining to having so many stars on the sidelines.

"With the group that we have, all of those who have had game time are now a lot more experienced, so we'll have a pretty decent squad next season," he said.

"Joe Owen has had more games than any other player, and that will add so much depth going into next year."

AJ MacGinty and Steven Luatua are also signed up for next year to help share the workload of the more experienced Bears players, many of whom will return when the new season kicks off after the summer.

An enticing prospect for Lam whenever he has looked over at the sidelines in training in recent weeks.

"[Pedro] Rubiolo will be fit for the start of the season. I looked over during a session the other day and saw Rubiolo, [Gabriel] Oghre, [Steven] Luatua, and [Vilame] Mata all standing together - that's a big chunk of experience right there.

"Imagine having those boys playing and then the boys who are starting on the bench."

As for the others on the injury list, Lam confirmed that he expects prop Ellis Genge to be ready for England's summer camp following the the calf injury he picked up last time out against Bath.

Back-row Fitz Harding broke his hand 10 minutes into last weekend's derby win at Ashton Gate but does not require surgery over the off-season.

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Lions don't know when Kerby Joseph will be healthy enough to return

In 2024, Lions safety Kerby Joseph was a first-team All-Pro, and in early 2025 he was rewarded with a four–year, $86 million contract extension. Things have not gone well since then.

Joseph missed most of last season with a knee injury, and Lions head coach Dan Campbell says he has no idea when Joseph will be cleared to play again.

"Really, I don't know. I honestly do not know," Campbell said. "I know this: We have done everything we can, and he's done everything he can do to this point, and we are trying to be as smart as we can and not push this until we absolutely have to. Because once we've done that, then we'll know one way or another. And it's not worth it right now. We're just slowly building, continuing to strengthen there, he's getting treatment, he's done different things at different places to try to help. I feel good about that. I feel good about everything we've done, and so does he. We won't know. I mean, honestly, we probably won't know until we get into the thick of training camp."

Campbell's tone did not suggest a lot of optimism about Joseph's ability to play any time soon, and when asked about various treatments Joseph has tried, Campbell cut off the question with, "I'm not gonna get into all that."

Overall, it was an update that doesn't sound good for the Lions' hopes of getting Joseph back to All-Pro form this season.

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Vintage Josh Hart shows up for Knicks in NBA Finals Game 1 win

Josh hart

SAN ANTONIO — It was classic Josh Hart: impacting the game without scoring. 

After being limited to seven minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, Hart left his imprint on Game 1 of the NBA Finals in a major way, providing major contributions in the Knicks’ come-from-behind, 105-95 win at Frost Bank Center on Wednesday night. 

In the second half, the Knicks outscored the Spurs by 17 points, and Hart played a major role. He rebounded like a madman (15 boards), created for his teammates (six assists) and defended (four steals). It seemed like he was in the right spot during every Knicks run, particularly on the defensive end. He finished with a team-best plus-22 rating in 27 minutes despite shooting 1-for-5 from the field. 

Josh Hart steals the ball from Victor Wembanyama during the Knicks’ 105-95 Game 1 win over the Spurs in the NBA Finals on June 3, 2026 in San Antonio. Jason Szenes for The New York Post

“That’s just who he is. He’s always been that way. I can’t explain it,” Jalen Brunson, his longtime teammate dating back to college, said. “He just has a knack for doing things like that, and in crucial times as well. It’s a credit to who he is as a player.” 

Hart was frustrated with himself in the first half, faulting himself for committing dumb and unnecessarily fouls. With Hart on the bench, the Knicks trailed by seven at halftime. It was a different story over the final 24 minutes. 

Josh Hart talks with Jalen Brunson during the Knicks’ Game 1 win. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

“I had a lot of energy. I think I only played like seven minutes in the first half,” Hart said. “I knew I had to come out, be aggressive. It was just come in and inject energy.” 

He certainly helped the Knicks, who rallied from a 14-point deficit in the third quarter to extend their franchise-record playoff win streak to 12. Hart has been a key element to this run. On Wednesday, he proved to be pivotal without scoring. As Brunson alluded to, he has a knack for excelling at whatever his team needs.

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The basketball-crazed Philippines will have a champion when these NBA Finals are over

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — No matter what, the basketball-crazed Philippines will have a champion to celebrate when these NBA Finals are over.

New York's Jordan Clarkson and San Antonio's Dylan Harper — who'll face off in the Finals that start Wednesday — were both born in the U.S., but both have links to the Philippines through their mothers. And Clarkson raved about Harper, whose rookie year has been nothing but impressive.

“He’s been really good throughout the whole year,” Clarkson said. “I’ve been watching him, keeping up with him, as well. Him being so young and having so much poise throughout this whole playoffs, it’s a great sight to see a young star coming in this league and doing what he’s doing.”

The significance of this isn't lost on Harper either.

“I think me and him get to do something really special, representing our country, where we’re from, represent everything on the biggest stage in basketball,” Harper said. “I feel like over there in the Philippines, basketball is probably the biggest thing. I think we’re very excited for that and we’re just very blessed and grateful to be in this position.”

Not a lot of Finals history

Only six players on the Knicks and the Spurs have appeared in previous NBA Finals games.

San Antonio’s Harrison Barnes played in 13 for Golden State, Luke Kornet played in six for Boston and Kelly Olynyk played in five for Miami.

For New York, Mikal Bridges played in six for Phoenix, Dillon Jones played in three for Oklahoma City and Jordan Clarkson played in two for Cleveland. Another member of the Knicks — OG Anunoby — was with Toronto for its run to the 2019 NBA title, but did not play in any of those six games.

Combined, those six players with past Finals experience have scored 265 points in the title round.

Don't expect overtime. Or a lot of close games.

The last 44 NBA Finals games have all ended in regulation, the longest run without overtime in the title series in league history. There was a 34-game stretch without an overtime game from 1984 through 1990.

Of course, it's tough to have a shot at going to overtime when games aren't close down the stretch. Out of the last 81 Finals games, 50 have been decided by double figures.

The division champion stat

An annual reminder: Division championships mean nothing anymore ... until the NBA Finals.

If San Antonio wins the NBA title, it will mark the 14th time in the last 15 seasons that a division champion has wound up winning.

The only exception in that span was Golden State in 2022. Before that, the last team to not win their division but win the NBA title was Dallas in 2011.

The Knicks were second in the Atlantic Division behind Boston this year, so they're trying to buck this trend.

Welcome back, Mike Brown

It's been 19 years, but Mike Brown is back in the NBA Finals as a head coach. The New York coach took Cleveland to the title round in 2007 — getting swept by San Antonio that year.

Just by getting here this year, Brown joins an exclusive club of coaches to take multiple franchises to the NBA Finals.

Pat Riley (Los Angeles Lakers, New York, Miami) and Alex Hannum (St. Louis, Philadelphia, San Francisco) took three franchises to the Finals. Brown joins Rick Carlisle, Phil Jackson, Larry Brown, KC Jones, Bill Fitch, Gene Shue, Bill Sharman and Red Auerbach on the list of those to take two different franchises to the title round.

Wemby's amazing year

San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama has had a postseason like no one in league history, and his totals are only going to get more impressive.

So far in these playoffs, Wembanyama has 394 points, 183 rebounds, 100 made free throws, 60 blocked shots and 30 3-pointers.

That's just the playoffs. Only 19 players — him included, of course — had those totals over the entirety of this regular season. (No Spurs player has ever had a regular season with all those numbers, except Wembanyama.)

And since 3-pointers came into play, nobody in NBA history has ever done all that in the same postseason, until now.

If this goes 7 games ...

If this NBA Finals goes the seven-game distance, Spurs players Keldon Johnson and Julian Champagnie might tie an NBA record.

Or break it, depending on how you count.

Johnson and Champagnie both enter these NBA Finals with 100 games played so far this season. That's seven shy of the NBA record for games played in a season — shared by Charles Oakley and Tayshaun Prince.

They both played 107. But Johnson and Champagnie also played in the NBA Cup title game, which means they would have technically played in 108 games this season — though the league doesn't recognize the Cup final in any statistics.

Money matters

The Spurs and Knicks are playing for $5,157,417 in bonus money. That's the difference between winning and losing the NBA Finals out of the league's playoff pool, which topped $35 million this season.

The Spurs have already secured $6,594,508 out of that pool this season. The Knicks have clinched $6,438,024.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

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