Micheal Clemons (72) Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

This D-lineman plans on being a terror for the Jets

By Matthew Neschis | Last updated 7/31/23

Among the New York Jets fearsome defensive line, Micheal Clemons may be the scariest player.

It's hard to miss Clemons' imposing presence during the early stages of training camp. The second-year defensive lineman arrived to the team's first practice in style: shirtless, donning a pair of shades and gold chain while carrying a barbed-wire bat.

His apparent weapon of choice made a second appearance Sunday, as Clemons ominously posed with the bat while fully suited up in several media day photos posted to Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by CYCLOPS (@michealclemons)

"Mike? I love his demeanor," head coach Robert Saleh said at a news conference following Sunday's practice. "His intention is to be a violent football player. The cool thing is he knows how to turn it off off the field. I love his progress. He's gotten bigger and stronger."

Drafted by the Jets in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Clemons made a big impact as a rookie. Playing just 311 snaps (29%) on defense last season, the Texas A&M product had 2.5 sacks, 36 total tackles (22 solo), four tackles for loss and six quarterback hits.

Clemons only seems to be getting better since his strong rookie campaign. The 25-year-old added muscle this offseason, claiming to weigh 285 pounds "before breakfast" — around 20 pounds more than what he weighed at the start of last year's training camp.

Michael Clemons said he’s playing at about 285 lbs “before breakfast.” That’s about 20lbs up from what he started last year at. On what he wants to show Thursday night? “The Jets got a fucking monster.” pic.twitter.com/3AN3iopbJa
— Andy Vasquez (@andy_vasquez) July 30, 2023

He will look to benefit from more playing time as an interior D-lineman, a move that recently paid immense dividends for teammate John Franklin-Myers.

"JFM has been doing this for a few years now," Clemons said. "Since I got here, he's passed along some advice to me from time to time. It will help me out as much as possible. That's cool."

The Jets' first test of the season will come Thursday night against Cleveland in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. For Clemons, it's another opportunity to show what kind of player he really is.

"What do I want to show?" Clemons said. "That the Jets got a f—ing monster. That's what I want to show."

More must-reads: