Getty New York Jets edge rusher Vinny Curry at Super Bowl LII media availability on January 30, 2018.
During the second round of New York Jets roster cuts, there was one huge shocker that took precedent.
Veteran edge rusher Vinny Curry was moved from the Active/PUP list to the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list, in effect ending his 2021 campaign with the Green & White before it ever began.
There was so much confusion and doubt from fans that many didn’t even know whether to believe beat reporters or not being that conflicting reports misinformed that he would be able to return at midseason. Unfortunately, the more severe reports were indeed accurate and Curry is officially done for the year.
Head coach Robert Saleh was asked about the vet during his press conference on August 25, but he chose not to comment, informing media that Curry would do so shortly.
“He’s going to get an opportunity to talk to everybody soon and release a statement,” the Jets HC explained, “so I don’t want to get into his personal stuff, he’ll reveal that, but [we’re] blessed that we actually were able to find some things that were going unnoticed.”
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Curry Breaks Silence on Medical Condition
Shortly after Saleh spoke with the media, Curry released a powerful statement on Twitter.
🙏🏾 God Got Me
The defensive end’s initial diagnosis actually came in July, when doctors determined that he had a rare blood disorder that required the removal of his spleen. After persevering through all of that, Curry got some more bad news — blood clots had formed throughout his recovery.
Blood clots can quickly become life-changing, or even fatal, if they trigger a heart attack or stroke. The only option was to immediately begin treatment using blood thinners, which Curry did. That bombshell prevented the football player from physical contact for another three to six months, extending his absence to the point of no return.
Curry noted that he is “incredibly disappointed” that he will miss this first season with Gang Green, but he also shared how “thankful” he is to have found out about this condition with ample time to treat it properly and safely.
As the edge rusher stated, his doctors informed him that he is “expected to make a full recovery and return to the field next season.”
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Edge Rusher Absences Begin to Mount
All of a sudden, the Jets have lost both of their biggest veteran free-agent acquisitions on the edge. As we know, Carl Lawson has torn his Achilles and now Curry’s medical condition will sideline him for the entire 2021 season.
Third-year pass-rusher Kyle Phillips has also missed all of preseason and training camp as he works his way back from an ankle injury, and 2020 draft pick Jabari Zuniga has dealt with nagging injuries all summer.
Similarly, veteran Ronald Blair has found himself off to the side with the training staff on multiple occasions, the latest issue being a hamstring.
That leaves a short and youthful list of healthy pass-rushers, with a lack of experience.
- John Franklin-Myers, drafted in 2018 (may have to switch to DE full-time).
- Bryce Huff, an undrafted rookie in 2020.
- Hamilcar Rashed Jr., an undrafted rookie in 2021.
- Jeremiah Valoaga, an undrafted rookie in 2017, played under Saleh in San Francisco.
- Aaron Adeoye, played in AAF and only signed on August 23.
The recently nicknamed “Avengers” Jets D-line is losing its superheroes one by one, and it seems like general manager Joe Douglas is very aware that it’s time to make a move for a replacement.
The franchise has recently been tied to several different veteran trade candidates, including Chandler Jones, Derek Barnett and Dante Fowler among others.
There are also several free agents that they could still target, like Adrian Clayborn, Olivier Vernon and Vic Beasley.
Coach Saleh did not give much on this topic during his presser, saying; “Obviously Joe and his staff are working relentlessly, [they’re] always trying to look at the roster and [they’re] always communicating but we’ve got great confidence in the guys that are here.”
Whichever route Douglas and Saleh go, one thing is clear. They need to bring in at least one edge rusher to counteract the snowballing lack of depth. This defense relies on pass-rush from the front four, which requires at least four high-caliber edge rushers to rotate in and out.
Right now the Jets have two legitimate defensive ends, maybe three, that exemplify the standard that this scheme demands.
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