The New York Jets will be without several key pieces when they take on the Buffalo Bills in Week 2.
The final injury report was released on Friday, September 12. Gang Green ruled out three players: starting wide receiver Josh Reynolds, lead return man Kene Nwangwu, and backup defensive tackle Jay Tufele.
The 4-1-1 on the Jets’ Injury Situations
Nwangwu didn’t practice all week with a hamstring issue. He initially hurt it during the Pittsburgh Steelers game in Week 1.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini said on the “Flight Deck” podcast that it could be a multiple-week absence for Nwangwu.
Reynolds also popped up on the injury report with a hamstring injury. The veteran wideout fully participated in practice on Wednesday, which means this injury took place between the end of practice on Wednesday and practice on Thursday. He missed Thursday and Friday’s practice.
Finally, Tufele missed the entire week of Bills prep with what the team is calling an “illness.
In the season opener, Tufele only appeared in 30% of the defensive snaps. However, Reynolds, on the other side of the field, played nearly all of the snaps on offense (97%).
Reynolds is a full-time starter on offense, and Nwangwu was the starting return man for the Jets before he got hurt in Week 1.
Replacement Plans for the Jets?
ESPN’s Rich Cimini said on social media that you can “expect” veteran pass catcher Allen Lazard “to be active.”
Last week, he was a healthy scratch. NFL Insider Connor Hughes of SNY said on “Jets Final Drive” that the team could cut Lazard “in the coming days.” Fast forward a few days, and he could be one of the starting receivers on gameday. Life moves pretty fast.
Cimini said you can also expect defensive tackle Leonard Taylor III to be “active.” Last week, he was a healthy scratch. The reason for LT3’s absence was less ominous; the Jets have a lot of defensive tackles, but they can’t play all of them. Someone had to be a scratch, and Taylor was that guy last week.
This week, the Jets parted ways with Xavier Gipson and replaced him with Isaiah Williams. Williams was signed off the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad.
Cimini said he is a candidate to be the punt returner, “and perhaps” one of the kick return specialists on the field versus Buffalo.
Jets Receive Great News on Sauce Gardner
The green and white had a bit of an injury scare mid-week when Sauce Gardner popped up. However, head coach Aaron Glenn assured the media on Friday, September 12, that Gardner should be good for the game.
Coach Glenn is a man of his word. Gardner didn’t even receive an injury designation for this contest, which means he is 100% a full-go.
Jets Rule out Multiple Starters for Critical Bills Game