Jets give C.J. Mosley more flexibility to audible defense

Three years ago, C.J. Mosley took matters into his own hands without authorization, calling an audible against the Titans when Robert Saleh’s system dictated he couldn’t do so.

The only thing that prevented it from flaring into an issue was that the call worked, helping produce a stop in the fourth quarter of an eventual win — leading Saleh to describe the middle linebacker as a “cheat code.”

Now, the cheat code is built into the system, as Mosley has the freedom to audible based on what he sees at the line.

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“You go back to that time, that was the first year everybody was together,” Mosley said after Friday’s practice. “I just think from us growing together, everybody’s been together. I can handle those things. Trust them, the players trust the coaches and the coaches trust the players to be able to get a call in. If I do see something or somebody sees something, the whole defense can change. We’ve proven we can do that.”

Mosley said he would audible “when it was necessary” a year ago, but there’s more flexibility built in now.

Dating back to his college days at Alabama, Mosley has taken pride in his ability to think on his feet and direct a defense, recalling a particular sack of Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel that resulted from an audible he called.

“Those type of plays build confidence, especially as a linebacker,” Mosley said. “So I just always remember that any time I went to a new defense. … You gotta just trust yourself and trust your studying and most important, trust your defense to be able to handle that.”

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Saleh declined to go into detail on Tarik Cohen’s sudden retirement but admitted to some surprise that Cohen had walked away in the midst of “a great camp.”

At the return spot, where Cohen had been carving out a spot on the depth chart, Saleh said the retirement didn’t dramatically change the Jets’ plans.

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“We’ve got a lot of guys that can work back there,” Saleh said. “Feel like there’s more guys than we’ve ever had back there catching punts and kickoffs. Feel really good about the depth and the opportunity that’s there for guys.”

The Jets signed receivers Isaiah Winstead and Brandon Smith along with cornerback Tre Swilling.

They released receiver Marcus Riley and tight end Kevin Foelsch.

The Jets are planning to hold a mock game Saturday in place of a normal practice, with two full halves.

They will also have referees for the first time in camp.

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