Sheldon Richardson is a very talented player. He now has two terrific seasons under his belt, earning the 2013 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and then making a trip to the Pro Bowl last season.
The Jets are lucky to have him under contract for the next two years. If they can keep him playing under that deal in 2015 and 2016, that would be the best case scenario for them. That could be tough. Next off-season could get ugly (that is the main reason I said they might need to consider trading him next year if a team blows them away with an offer).
Speaking of off-seasons, the way Richardson handled this past one, which recently ended, was less than ideal.
Whether players like it or not, even guys with a ton of natural ability, like Richardson, off-season workouts are important, especially when a new coaching staff comes to town, installing a new playbook, changing some techniques and so forth.
For Richardson to miss some workouts this off-season couldn’t have pleased Todd Bowles. Yes they are voluntary, and yes he is supremely talented, but he’s a 24-year-old maturing lineman who still has a lot to work on.
Just ask Bowles.
“He can still be better fundamentally,” Bowles said in March. “He can add a toolbox to his pass rush which is good. Different pass rush moves. Staying low and using his hands more. [He] can get even better and learn the mental aspect of the game.”
Does that sound like a guy who should miss some workouts? Probably not.
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