Kinlaw reunites with Robert Saleh
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that former San Francisco 49ers first-round pick Javon Kinlaw has signed a one-year deal with the New York Jets.
There has been no official announcement that the team is releasing Arik Armstead. But if that report is true, it would intensify the 49ers’ need for another defensive tackle.
Yetur Gross-Matos can help the interior pass rush, but Kinlaw and Armstead were the team’s best run-stoppers.
Kinlaw will be unfairly labeled a “bust” after being selected as DeForest Buckner’s successor. The 49ers took a risk on a 300-pound man who came into the NFL with known health issues, and the gamble didn’t pay off.
When Kinlaw is healthy, he can be a formidable piece to a defensive line rotation. Kinlaw believes his best football is still ahead of him. This will be his first healthy off-season.
Kinlaw flashed the most as a rookie. The Jets are hoping that Kinlaw, a year removed from injury, shows the promise he did during his first season when Robert Saleh was the defensive coordinator.