Todd Bowles says Jets have learned a lot but have a ways to go

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — So far, so good. But Todd Bowles isn’t all that impressed by the strides the new-look Jets have made this offseason.

“We learned a lot. We haven’t accomplished anything,” the coach said Thursday, the final day of their three-day mandatory minicamp. “We just learned a lot and developed some chemistry. You have to redevelop that when you come back to training camp but we got a lot of things done.”

Asked which player showed the most improvement on the field, Bowles said matter-of-factly: “Nobody had improved, I think they’re all working to get better. I don’t know if anybody improved. We started in T-shirts, we ended in T-shirts. I’ll taper that [answer] until we have pads on.”

With a customary six-week break until training camp begins, he delivered his standard message to players: Come back ready to work even harder.

“Just keep training because we have a lot of work to do,” Bowles said. “We got a lot of work done, but we have a lot of work to do when we get back. Come in fresh and ready to go. Do some extra running.”

The third-year coach said even he plans to work out during the long break:

“I’ll be in better shape in camp than I am right now,” he said, laughing.

Injury clarification

Bowles clarified that rookie receiver ArDarius Stewart was “healthy” when the Jets drafted him, adding that the third-round pick suffered his thumb injury during rookie minicamp. According to Bowles, Stewart “had a history” of dealing with a strained groin, so the team chose to be “proactive” by having Stewart undergo surgery on his groin as well as his thumb.