The very injured New York Jets took another hit 90 minutes before their scheduled Week 4 contest against the Chicago Bears.
On social media, the Jets announced the seven inactive players for Week 4. The most surprising of these was pass rusher Kingsley Enagbare.
Enagbare popped up on the injury report with a knee issue. He was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday; he didn’t practice Thursday, and he was back to a limited participant on Friday.
Head coach Aaron Glenn said on Friday, October 2, that any player who was practicing on any basis, he felt “encouraged” that they were going to play in the game.
When asked specifically about Enagbare, Glenn said he had “just a little tweak in practice.” Apparently it was more than that.
The Rest of the Jets Inactives
Five of the seven players who were listed as inactive were ruled out for the game on Friday’s final injury report:
- Running back Breece Hall
- Tight end Mason Taylor
- Wide receiver Adonai Mitchell
- Left guard Dylan Parham
- Linebacker Kiko Mauigoa
The only other player who was ruled inactive is cornerback Nahshon Wright, who is a healthy scratch.
The Pressure Is on the Rest of the Group to Pick up the Slack
Brian Costello of the New York Post said, “Kingsley Enagbare is inactive. Would think Ossai has a bigger role today.”
“Kingsley Enagbare is out… That’s another big loss for us. Awful,” a Jets fan responded.
“Kingsley OUT. Need big games today from David Bailey and Will McDonald,” the Badlands account shared.
“Gonna need Ossai, WMD and Bailey to really step up today with no Kingsley,” NFL analyst Will Parkinson explained.
Most Disappointing Unit by Far Has Been the Trenches
The Jets invested heavily in the defensive line this offseason.
They made splashes in free agency by signing Enagbare to a one-year $9 million contract and Joseph Ossai to a three-year $34.5 million contract.
General manager Darren Mougey struck a trade to bring in T’Vondre Sweat. Signed David Onyemata in free agency. The biggest move of them all was selecting David Bailey with the No. 2 overall pick in the first round. Bailey became the highest-drafted defensive player in Jets franchise history.
With big investment comes big expectations, and bluntly, this unit hasn’t lived up to the billing so far.
Getting Into the Numbers
The Jets, as a total defensive unit, have collected eight sacks. That is tied for 9th best in the league, but the impact hasn’t been felt in that same way.
When the game has hung in the balance, and it has mattered the most, the Jets defense has been unable to come up with the big play.
It’ll be a bit more difficult to do it from a pass rush perspective without Enagbare.
The pressure shifts to the rest of the unit that includes Bailey, McDonald, Ossai, and former undrafted free agent Braiden McGregor. Head coach Aaron Glenn will have to rely upon his “superpowers” to try and overcome the losses on defense.
Jets Surprisingly Lose Pass Rusher Moments Before Bears Game