Dylan Donahue feels fortunate to have a second chance.

At football. And Redskins Elite Jerseys , most of all, at life.

The New York Jets linebacker knew he needed to make some major changes this offseason after making a decision that nearly cost him everything.

The 25-year-old Donahue was arrested and charged with drunken driving early on Feb. 26 after police say he drove the wrong way in the Lincoln Tunnel in New Jersey and collided with a jitney bus, injuring four people.

”I’m a firm believer in God,” Donahue said after practice Tuesday. ”I was born and raised Christian and I believe that He saved me and the other people that were involved.”

Donahue ”definitely” considered the incident a wake-up call, and soon after checked himself into a substance-abuse treatment facility in Jacksonville, Florida, after his second DUI arrest in less than a year. Donahue, a fifth-round pick last year out of West Georgia, had another DUI arrest in his hometown of Billings, Montana, on May 9, 2017 – 10 days after he was drafted by the Jets.

”That was a major factor in why I decided to go down for treatment,” he said.

Donahue spent 30 days at an in-patient facility, working to become sober.

”It was very enlightening,” he said. ”I went through a lot. … I think it was a life-changing experience. So, it was very awakening and life-changing this offseason.”

He fully embraced the idea of going to rehab, something he hadn’t previously considered.

”It wasn’t necessarily a scary experience,” Donahue said. ”I was honestly kind of excited because I was ready to make some life changes.”

Donahue also sought out former Jets teammate Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who spoke openly last season about his recovery from alcohol abuse. The tight end Cheap Kyzir White Jersey , now with the Jacksonville Jaguars, detailed his own steps to Donahue and gave him hope that he, too, could make drastic positive changes.

”He actually helped a lot,” Donahue said. ”Seeing someone else do it, especially someone on the same team as you, that definitely built my confidence.”

Donahue says he has cut out alcohol from his life, and has seen noticeable changes.

”My mind feels a lot clearer,” he said. ”I’m able to remember things a lot better and think a lot clearer. Physically, too. I’ve gained a little bit of weight and last year, that was kind of a problem for me, keeping on the weight. So, there’s a lot of benefits.”

He declined to discuss how much of a problem alcohol was for him. He also chose to not talk about details of the car accidents since they’re legal matters. The second-year linebacker could also face discipline by the NFL as part of its personal conduct policy.

When Donahue went for treatment, the Jets publicly stood by him and said he had a support system with the team when he returned. That was a relief to Donahue, who was uncertain as to how the Jets would deal with the situation.

”I think anyone worries when something like that happens,” he said, ”so, yeah, I was definitely worried.”

He acknowledged that he was surprised by how many people stood by him during that time.

”In situations like that David Ortiz Jersey , you really find out who your friends are,” he said. ”It was a definite wakeup call.”

Donahue is back with his teammates on the practice field, looking to become a contributor on New York’s defense.

He played in only four games last season after tearing a ligament in his right elbow while blocking on a punt return late in overtime against Jacksonville on Oct. 1. He had season-ending surgery and said the elbow is now healthy.

”He’s got his head down,” coach Todd Bowles said. ”He’s working. He’s working on some personal things, obviously, that he told you guys (about). He’s just working hard every day trying to get the system down and we’ll see what comes of it when everything comes to a head.”

Donahue knows he needs to re-establish trust with his family, friends, teammates and coaches – and it will take time. His father, Mitch, played for Denver and San Francisco during a four-year NFL career, so he knows he needs to make the most of this opportunity.

Both on and off the field.

”It’s definitely more motivation,” Donahue said. ”This has been my dream since I watched my Dad play in the NFL since I was born, so to get another chance at it means the world to me.”

—

DeMarcus Lawrence enjoys needling pass-rushing understudy Taco Charlton, who spent plenty of time in the offseason working out with the man who tied for second in sacks in the NFL last year for the Dallas Cowboys.

"He's aggravating," Lawrence said, trying not to show that he was joking. "I go places in Dallas thinking I'm by myself and two seconds later, I see Taco walk in. Why is he always following me?"

Maybe it's because Lawrence is coming off his best season at 14 1/2 sacks while Charlton is trying to deliver on first-round expectations in his second year.

Add Randy Gregory working to get his career back on track after a year away from the NFL on a substance-abuse suspension, and these recent high draft picks by the Cowboys, all defensive ends Corey Kluber Jersey , offer an interesting trio of story lines going into 2018.

"Encore?" said Lawrence, who tied Jacksonville's Calais Campbell for second, 2 1/2 sacks behind Arizona's Chandler Jones. "You've just got to stay tuned. We're going to put on a big show this year."

Gregory was activated from the non-football injury list Wednesday following a yearlong suspension over multiple violations of the league's substance-abuse policy.

Coach Jason Garrett says the club did it to allow Gregory to be more active in morning walkthroughs at training camp in California. The Cowboys aren't in any hurry to have him participate in a full padded practice.

"He's been away from football for a long time," Garrett said. "He did a good job of keeping himself in shape. But again, we don't want to compromise him early on here and put him a couple of weeks behind where he should be, so we're going to progress deliberately here."

As for Lawrence and Charlton, it's full-speed ahead. Here's an overview of all three players a week into camp:

LAWRENCE'S MOTIVATION

The Cowboys put the franchise tag on Lawrence at the end of his four-year rookie deal, and there weren't any contract discussions of substance before the deadline to sign a long-term deal expired.

Lawrence, who gets $17.1 million guaranteed this season, was the first pass rusher drafted by the Cowboys after they released franchise sacks leader DeMarcus Ware in 2014. Dallas traded up to early in the second round to get him.

He didn't get his first sack until his second season and had just nine through three years before a quick start in 2017 led to his breakthrough. Now the 26-year-old is playing for a big payday.

"As a kid, they tell you the sky's the limit. They lyin' to you," Lawrence said. "You set your own limits. That's why I said, 'Secure the bag,' because I'm going out there each and every day and showing my son and showing my family I set my own limits."

CHARLTON'S MODEL

The former Michigan player is actually three sacks ahead of Lawrence's pace. Charlton had three as a rookie after the Cowboys took him late in the first round. If nothing else, he knows patience is part of the formula.

The 23-year-old Charlton's debut in the NFL was Lawrence's first season without an injury or season-opening suspension, which Lawrence served in 2016.

"I talk trash, like, he didn't do nothing," Charlton said. "That's kind of how we wing it Cheap Minkah Fitzpatrick Jersey , 'Ah, you didn't do nothing. Ah, you did this, I'm going to go faster.' It pushes us to go to that next level. Him doing what he did last year pushed me to try to do that same thing."

Charlton seems much more at ease, speaking freely and frequently with reporters during camp.

"The comfortability level is probably the biggest thing," he said. "There's not so much where I'm wide-eyed seeing what's going on. I roll out here like I belong and I can do whatever I need to do to progress."

GREGORY'S LONG ROAD

The former Nebraska standout has been suspended for 30 of the past 32 regular-season games for multiple violations of the substance-abuse policy.

Gregory was considered a first-round talent when he slid to near the end of the second round of the 2015 draft over off-field concerns that included a positive test for marijuana at the combine.

While he was cleared to return by Commissioner Roger Goodell not long before training camp, Gregory hasn't spoken to reporters. Garrett hesitated to indicate when Gregory might practice for the first time.

"You have brothers falling the wrong way, do you give up on them? No," Lawrence said. "We say togetherness, we say family for a reason. Randy's my brother. We stuck by him for this long time and it's time for him to ball now."

Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, also the defensive line coach, said it's a first for him to have a player back after not seeing him for a year and a half.

"Each night we have a chance in our meetings, we visit," Marinelli said. "He knows the progression that he's got to go through. He's not going to walk out there and it's going to happen. As talented as he is, it doesn't work that way. And he knows that."
.