EAST RUTHERFORD — The routine has become familiar for Jets rookie linebacker Blake Cashman.

When a defensive series ends, Cashman walks off the field with the other inside linebackers, goes over what just happened with position coach Frank Bush, and heads over to the bench.

“And as soon as I sit on the bench, there’s one guy always sitting right next to me and talking things through with me,” Cashman said. “And that’s C.J. [Mosley].”

This is not how Mosley envisioned the early part of his Jets career going: sitting on the sideline, in street clothes, helping out young teammates. But it was the reality after he suffered a serious groin injury Week 1.

Mosley is listed as questionable for Monday night's game against the Patriots (8:15 p.m., ESPN), but is expected to finally get back on the field. And while his time away was frustrating for him and the Jets, it was not a complete loss.

Mosley has been able to help his teammates and remain sharp by serving as a position coach of sorts.

During practice, he’s been listening in on defensive coordinator Gregg Williams’ calls and providing feedback.

“He criticized me constantly if I made the call wrong,” Williams said laughing. “Which was a fun back and forth competition.”

During games, he’s been wearing a coaching headset and watching intently for ways to help his teammates before they go back out for the next series. Mosley said he mainly watches inside linebackers. But if he sees something an opposing offensive line tipping a play, or a tendency that could help a defensive lineman or defensive back, he’s not afraid to tell them, too.

“It’s just like any game after you come off you try to make sideline adjustments and talk about what you saw in that series,” Mosley said. “Obviously, you see a lot more on the sideline. So I just try to do my best and give my two cents to the guys and if I saw something I can help them out with, I just relay the message.”

Cashman may have been the biggest beneficiary of Mosley’s feedback. The rookie was never supposed to play this much this early. He was forced into action because of a slew of inside linebacker injuries, including Mosley’s. And he says the input from the veteran has been an immense help.

“He’s been like having a second position coach,” Cashman said. “He’s seen it all, done it all and he’s able to give me tips and things to pick up on as the game goes on. Like, ‘Hey, they motioned to this set but they’re going to come back and do this play next time, so if they get to it, know it’s coming.’ Things like that where I can kind of get myself extra-prepared.”

Kelechi Osemele:NY Jets fine Kelechi Osemele for conduct detrimental to the team in injury dispute

Players who could change everything:Five Jets who should make the team look completely different than last Patriots matchup

Cashman said there’s been several instances in which Mosley’s specific advice has paid off for him on the field. He recalled a play in the loss to the Eagles, in which the opposing offense disguised a run using a series of shifts and motions.

When Cashman came to the sideline, Mosley had a message for him: next time the Eagles do that, it’s going to be play-action.

“And sure enough it was play-action,” Cashman said. “And I was able to get a better bust out on my drop and to get deep, which made the quarterback hold the ball longer. And I think we either got a QB pressure or it caused a sack and that’s because of C.J."

“Being a young guy, one of the things I always need to work on is reading the offensive linemen better and seeing that play-action, because I want to play the run so hard. But having someone like that with a lot of experience that can tell me that has been awesome.”

And by helping Cashman, Mosley has helped himself. With Neville Hewitt (neck/knee) listed as doubtful and likely out Monday, there’s a good chance Mosley and Cashman will be the Jets’ starting inside linebackers.

Even with Mosley returning to the field, he’ll still continue to have a coach-like influence. Before the season started, Williams asked Mosley to run a player’s only meeting on Friday for the entire defense.

The meeting happens in a “virtual reality room,” an idea Williams got from former college and pro coach Bobby Ross. Essentially, the Jets' defense stands in a large, empty room where a massive projection of the opposing offense is put up on a screen in front of them at eye-level.

The Jets’ players line up, just like they would on the field, and then make their calls.

“It’s simulating the game,” outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins said. “That’s exactly what it is, we’ll go over a random group of plays and make calls and checks and then see how it’s run against the play that’s on film.”

Mosley has been leading the meeting since the preseason and continued to through his injury.

"It’s just like we watch film in our regular room, but we get to line up with our defense and make calls," Mosley said. "So it’s more for the players, just so we can communicate so if we see something we can just talk it out.

It's a chance for the players to figure out what they might do in an uncomfortable situation, and even make tweaks to parts of the game plan they aren't comfortable with. Williams said the meeting is one of the big reasons the defense has consistently improved this season, despite playing shorthanded.

"When we first started doing it they did it because I told them to do it," Williams said. "But now they do it and have their own idea and now they do it and act like they're in charge. Now they do it and come back with feedback to me about things."

So it’s clear that even though it’s been more than a month since Mosley last played, he’s remained a massive influence on the defense and his fellow linebackers. And when he gets back on the field, that should help him get back up to speed without delay.

Williams said that Mosley was processing things as quickly as ever in his first two practices back.

“I’ve seen him communicate in two days even better than he was communicating before he got hurt,” Williams said of Mosley. “And it’s because all of the [work] he’s been doing. … If he had just checked out, he would’ve been taking steps backward and I don’t see him taking steps backward, I really don’t.”

Andy Vasquez is the Jets beat writer for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all Jets analysis, news, trades and more, please subscribe today and download our app.

Email: vasqueza@northjersey.com Twitter: @andy_vasquez