Jamien Sherwood entered Year 3 with the New York Jets as a candidate for the team’s third linebacker spot. One year later, there’s no longer a question concerning the converted safety’s status.

Sherwood, a 2021 fifth-round draft pick, played in all 17 games for the Jets in 2023, making three starts when the defense came out in a three-linebacker look. He was essential to the special teams, logging 87 percent of that unit’s snaps. The Auburn product accounted for a career-high 46 tackles, 3.0 tackles-for-loss, one forced fumble and one pass breakup.

All-Pro linebacker CJ Mosley, who joined the Jets in 2019, has seen his position mate’s growth first-hand, especially during the early parts of training camp.

“Throughout the course of camp, and, his career in the NFL, he’s just been getting better and better every single year,” said Mosley. He’s a very smart linebacker. He’s good at reading plays and getting downhill on the run. I feel like this offseason he has done a great job of just getting his body physically ready, just to be a linebacker since he made the transition from safety.”

The next step for Sherwood is to force his way into the defensive formation on a more frequent basis, and thus far this summer, he’s use training camp reps to provide even more evidence that he belongs.

The 24-year-old Sherwood made for defensive highlights during Monday’s practice, intercepting a pass from four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers off a deflection.

“It was fun,” said Sherwood at the podium on Monday afternoon. “Aaron Rodgers, great quarterback, Hall of Fame quarterback. When I get my opportunity to do something like that, it’s special to me. Obviously, it’s special to my teammates and coaches, just to see me going out there playing hard against someone of that caliber. So again, it feels great.”