Mike Goodson will be counted on in Marty Mornhinweg’s new offense.
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The Jets know why running back Mike Goodson was missing in action for a third straight day of training camp Saturday, but other than that, they’re as much in the dark about his status as their fans.
Goodson was arrested on drug and gun charges in mid-May and has made two court appearances since his arrest. He did not appear at team check-in day at SUNY Cortland on Thursday and was not a participant in the first two days of training camp.
In a statement on Thursday, head coach Rex Ryan said the team was aware Goodson was going to be absent. General manager John Idzik was noncommittal as to when the player could return.
“I don’t know. There’s no timeline on it at all. We just have to play that one by ear,” Idzik said. “We do an extremely thorough job of examining background. I think we’re in a business of abrupt adjustments.”
With his status and whereabouts unknown outside of Jets management, the whole situation is looming as a potential distraction. The Jets, who are trying to forgo their reputations as a “circus,” didn’t need this Goodson fiasco in their first training camp with Idzik as general manager.
When he’s on the field, Goodson has the looks of being someone who can be a valuable part of the Jets running game. Entering his fifth year in the league, Goodson has been in a running back rotation at his previous stops with the Panthers and last season with the Raiders. He averaged 6.3 yards per carry in limited action with Oakland.
With the charges still pending and Goodson’s future very much up in the air, Idzik wasn’t ready to move on quite yet. Then again, he didn’t sound like a man who was going to have the patience of a saint either.
“I really don’t know. We really don’t know,” Idzik said. “We’re just taking it day by day.”
Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer for live updates from training camp in Cortland, N.Y.
