He realized things were different when the Jets held a joint practice with the Panthers in Charlotte, less than 200 miles from Kinlaw’s high school site in Goose Creek, South Carolina. He didn’t recognize the player on the tape (in a good way).

“I just ran at full speed,” he said. “But the best part was I wasn’t thinking about anything. I just went for it. Whatever I wanted to do, it worked. I put a lot of hours into my pass rush. I’ve always been a great run defender, but just in the pass rush, I tried to put hours and hours, probably 10 hours, into my pass rush and it paid off. I still have a lot of things I haven’t even done yet. It’s going to be great.”

HC Robert Saleh said of Kinlaw’s performance in the Queen City: “In my opinion, he was unblockable. There are things he needs to work on. He’s just so strong and generates so much rebound that he actually creates vertical gaps in the defense. So we’re working on some things that will help him in transition, not only in the running game but also in passing.”

Kinlaw set a new career high with 3.5 sacks and comes into a system that has helped defensive tackles thrive. Solomon Thomas, one of Kinlaw’s teammates during his time in The Bay, had a new career high of 5 sacks last season. Quinton Jefferson, in his eighth year in the NFL, had a new career high of 6 sacks last season before signing with the Browns. Not to mention, All-Pro Quinnen Williams had 12 sacks in 2022, which ranked second among defensive tackles in the league.

Kinlaw, who will have about 10 friends and family members in the stands on Monday, would be lying if he said it wouldn’t be emotional for him to return to the place where he had to overcome injuries to start his career, playing in 10 games during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

In his first appearance as a Jet in a few days against his old team, he wants to prove to one person that he is right.

“It’s all for myself,” he said. “I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. I’m just going to try to show what I’ve been saying, which is that health goes hand in hand with work ethic. I’ve been able to sharpen my skills better at this camp than any other camp before.”

“For me, it was just great to know that these guys actually believe in me. I could feel it. I know I can just go out there and get going and do what I need to do.”