A New York Jets preseason star’s Cinderella run has come to a crashing halt.
Head coach Aaron Glenn revealed on Monday, August 17, that cornerback Mory Bamba injured his knee, and he thinks he will be out for “a couple of weeks, but he will be fine.”
That injury return timeline will likely prevent Bamba from playing in either of the Jets’ final two preseason games.
Glenn explained that Bamba got hurt during the preseason game versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Bamba was the biggest winner for the Jets during Week 1 of the preseason.
On defense, he registered four pass deflections and only allowed three catches on nine targets. Bamba was also active on special teams.
Bamba’s Chances of Making the Roster Just Took a Significant Hit
“UDFA CB Mory Bamba went from unknown to intriguing. Rare combo of size/speed while the instincts, technique and route recognition are trying to catch up. Would be a big win for Aaron Glenn if they can develop him into long term depth – now at least on the practice squad radar,” NBC Sports’ Connor Rogers posted on X over the weekend.
▫️It wasn’t against the Bucs top guys, but Jets starting OL played as a cohesive unit. A lot of eyes will be on Parham at LG since he’s the only new starter in that group – had a very solid debut.
▫️Hard to have a huge takeaway on Klubnik
After Bamba’s performance in the preseason, he jumped on the radar to potentially make the practice squad. He had a chance to steal a roster spot if he continued to impress in the remaining preseason games. That no longer feels like a possibility.
The Jets have five locks to make the 53-man roster at cornerback. If they kept six corners, that final spot would be a battle between Qwan’tez Stiggers and Bamba.
Unless something changes, Stiggers figures to claim that final spot.
This could open the door for the Jets to get creative. NFL analyst Will Parkinson called Bamba an “Obvious IR stash candidate imo.”
That would allow the Jets to kick the can down the road instead of having to decide whether to cut or keep him. By placing him on that list, Bamba wouldn’t count against the Jets’ 53-man roster.
However, Bamba would have to miss the first four games of the Jets’ 2026 season, but they could designate him to return when they deemed him ready.
Other Important Injury Updates From Glenn
The Jets’ two veteran leaders, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Demario Davis, had scheduled rest days. “They’re doing just fine,” coach Glenn said. So they didn’t practice on Monday, August 17.
Some beat reporters noticed that Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson wasn’t at practice, which initially raised a few eyebrows. However, coach Glenn revealed that Wilson “came in this morning sick; he was throwing up, so obviously he will be just fine.”
Veteran linebacker Mykal Walker is dealing with a “calf” issue, but no timeline was provided for his return.
The Jets got a pair of key defenders back at practice with nose tackle T’Vondre Sweat and pass rusher Joseph Ossai.
Sweat had been on the NFI [Non-Football-Injury-Or-Illness] list since the start of camp with an offseason hamstring injury. Ossai had been on the PUP [Physically-Unable-To-Perform] list due to a failed physical at the start of camp.
Coach Glenn said they have those guys on a “pitch count,” and they will slowly ramp up. That is great news for the Jets’ defense weeks before the start of the 2026 regular season.
Jets Preseason Star Gets Hurt, Likely to Miss Rest of Preseason