LI's Elijah Riley shows the Jets his mental toughness and preseverance

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Elijah Riley was understandably shaken after suffering a head injury against the Dolphins last December.

Leaving Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on a backboard with his neck immobilized was a frightening experience that made Riley think about many things. The Jets safety from Port Jefferson rediscovered how much football meant to him.

“That sat with me for a little bit,” Riley told Newsday this past week. “That was a situation that I imagine would throw anybody off for a little bit. Being carted off the field in a stretcher is something that nobody ever wants to see.

“It was a reflective experience for me. It brought me back down to earth. [It] made me realize why I was doing it and helped me find my ‘why’ again and get back into the game wanting to be stronger and better.”

It happened on Dec. 19, and Riley entered the concussion protocol. The Jets had three games remaining, and Riley’s season seemed to be over.

Not so fast.

The former Newfield High School star wouldn’t entertain that thought. Once Riley knew he was going to be all right, he was determined to return to the field. He missed only one game.

“It was something that I wanted to do for myself,” Riley said. “I didn’t want to walk away from something, whether it be from fear or worry of something worse taking place. I felt good. I wanted to be here for the team and continue living out my dream.”

Riley’s story is a testament to mental toughness and perseverance. It’s not just his return from the injury but the fact that the 5-11, 214-pound safety was starting for the Jets in the first place.

Riley, who led Newfield to the 2015 Long Island Class II title, went undrafted out of Army and ended up on the Eagles’ practice squad. He played in six games during the 2020 and ’21 seasons: 73 special teams snaps and four on defense.

Jets general manager Joe Douglas liked Riley’s makeup and game and signed him last November from Philadelphia’s practice squad. Because of injuries, he started at safety in less than two weeks.

In seven games — all starts — Riley had 45 tackles and a sack in 386 snaps. He earned praise and respect from his coaches and teammates for how quickly he picked things up and how vocal he was.

Now Riley, 24, is going through his first training camp with the Jets. He’s trying to prove he can be a dependable safety for them again. His mental toughness and perseverance could be assets in this situation.

The reality is Riley might not be on the 53-man roster. The Jets signed former Tampa Bay safety Jordan Whitehead and re-signed LaMarcus Joyner, who suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1 last year. They’re expected to start. The Jets also are high on second-year cornerback-turned-safety Jason Pinnock.

It’s a numbers game that could lead to Riley being released and then signed to the practice squad if he’s not picked up. He isn’t looking too far ahead, though. He’s focused solely on the next practice and the next play.

“I’m competing with the guys, we’re a team, but I want to be better than I was the day before,” Riley said. “So I’m putting my best foot forward each day. I want to be at least 1% better than I was the day before. If I keep stacking days, eventually things will work out in my favor.”

Riley said he’s seen “significant improvements” in his play. He made a nice play in Friday’s joint practice with the Falcons. The Jets were in cover-2 and Riley made a good break on a ball during a two-minute drill, knocking it away from Geronimo Allison just before the goal line.

Safeties coach Marquand Manuel, who was with Philadelphia in 2020, said “it’s been really encouraging to see” how Riley has developed. Robert Saleh remains a Riley fan, but he couldn’t reveal anything about his future with the team.

“He’s picked up where he left off,” Saleh said. “He’s very instinctive. He’s very smart, great communicator, he’s very detailed in his assignments. I have a lot of respect for Elijah and his style of play.

“It’s a really good safety group. He’s out there, he’s making plays every day. He’s not losing the down because of things that he’s got control over. He’s always in position to make the plays that he needs to make, and he does it because of his approach to the game day in and day out.”

That won’t change. One of Saleh’s mottos is “go to bed better than when you woke up.”

That’s one of Riley’s mission statements: “Continue to be better than I was the day before. I want to continue to strive to be one of the best safeties in the league and not let circumstances out of my control get in the way of that.

“Continue to work hard, continue to be the best that I can be, continue to make those improvements so that when the time comes, I’m able to be that guy.”

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.