Jets' Lawson expects to return from Achilles injury at training camp

New York Jets defensive end Carl Lawson said Wednesday he expects to return from his Achilles injury at training camp, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini.

"I'm going to be good to go, but it's kind of up to the organization, how they want to play it, what they want me doing, and stuff like that," he said, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "I'll be ready to go at any time on a moment's call. Even when I was on one leg, I'm ready to go, but it's up to the organization."

Lawson joined the Jets on a three-year, $45-million deal last season, but his campaign prematurely ended in August due to a ruptured Achilles. New York struggled last year without its top pass-rusher on the field, recording just 33 sacks.

However, Lawson is excited to see what New York's new-look defense can do in 2022.

"I love this group because it's a bunch of guys with different backstories," Lawson said, according to NFL.com's Nick Shook. "It's going to be a competitive group, so it's going to be a breeding ground for absolute monsters.

"We've got guys wanting to come back and prove themselves, like myself. We've got undrafted guys. We've got (players) who went to JUCO. We've got guys - like (defensive lineman) Vinny Curry - coming off a damn near-life-threatening injury. You've got so many different people who've been through different adversities, and then you've got that competitive nature."

The Jets bolstered their pass rush this year through the draft and free agency. New York signed linebacker Jacob Martin as well as defensive linemen Solomon Thomas and Curry. The team made its biggest splash in the 2022 NFL Draft by selecting Jermaine Johnson in the first round.

Defensive linemen Quinnen Williams and John Franklin-Myers led New York with six sacks each in 2021.

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