As the Jets begin training camp this week, they'll have a couple of familiar faces among them in coach's gear.
Former Jets left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson and DE Calvin Pace will be working with Gang Green this summer, but as scouting interns instead of players this time. They will be working on the Nunn-Wooten fellowship, which the NFL put in place for former players looking to expose themselves to the scouting industry.
But that's not all. Hines Ward, who caused the Jets problems as the Steelers' star wideout during his playing days, will be working for the Jets as a Bill Walsh coaching intern. He has interned with the Steelers in the past, while also coaching in the Alliance of American Football before it dissolved.
Ferguson was a mainstay at left tackle for a decade with New York. He came to the Jets as the fourth overall draft pick out of Virginia back in 2006, and paid dividends on the left side of the offensive line. Ferguson never missed a game during his NFL career.
Ward is a Pittsburgh legend after his 13-year career with the Steelers. He totaled 12,083 yards on 1,000 career receptions with 85 touchdowns. A four-time Pro Bowler and the 2005 Super Bowl MVP, Ward finished his career with two Super Bowl rings (Pittsburgh collected one in 2008 as well).
Pace played most of his career with the Jets, spending the final eight years of his career in their system. During his tenure in New York, he had 426 combined tackles, 46 sacks (including a 10-sack season in 2013), 65 tackles for loss and 16 forced fumbles.
These three, along with a few other interns, will all brains for the Jets to pick during the next few weeks.