Lindenhurst's Jeremy Ruckert gets first Jets TD
The Jets will move left tackle George Fant to the right tackle spot to make roon for Duane Brown at left tackle. Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
PHILADELPHIA — Jeremy Ruckert was all smiles after his first game for the Jets.
The Lindenhurst native and lifelong Jets fan caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Chris Streveler in the fourth quarter Friday night in a 24-21 preseason win over the Eagles.
“It was special,” he told Newsday. “First time putting on the uniform in a real scenario, dreaming about it since I was a kid.”
Ruckert ended up with two catches for 3 yards. His touchdown gave the Jets a 17-14 lead with 8:10 left in the game.
The Jets’ third-round pick from Ohio State missed all of OTAs and the start of camp with a foot injury before being cleared to practice last week. He’s trying to get up to speed and build chemistry with his team.
“Just getting out there practicing, having very limited reps during all of camp, so it was a lot different,” Ruckert said. “Being able to get used to that early and trusting the older guys steering me in the right direction. It was a blessing just to be out there.”
Adding Brown
The Jets expect five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Duane Brown to join them on Saturday. They signed him after losing Mekhi Becton to a fractured kneecap.
“We’re excited about Duane,” Robert Saleh said. “Definitely makes our football team better. Just watching him play, the guy’s 37 years old, still has a lot of juice left in him. Excited for him.”
Brown and George Fant will be the tackles, although who plays which side still needs to be determined. Brown has been a left tackle his whole career. Fant has played right tackle before.
The starting line Friday was Chuma Edoga, Laken Tomlinson, Connor McGovern, Alijah Vera-Tucker and rookie Max Mitchell.
‘Awful’ late hit
Quincy Williams was flagged for unnecessary roughness for a late, hard and high hit on Jalen Hurts after the Philadelphia quarterback ran out of bounds. Saleh called the hit “egregiously awful from Quincy. He knows that. He knows better. Those are the plays that Quincy has to get out of his game if he wants to become the linebacker that we all think he can be.”
Two-minute drill
Streveler was 6-for-9 for 62 yards and two touchdowns, including the winning 5-yard strike to Calvin Jackson with 16 seconds left . . . Eddy Pineiro made his only field-goal try (26 yards) and Greg Zuerlein hit all three of his extra points.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
