Tough news for a young player.
Head coach Aaron Glenn revealed that New York Jets rookie defensive back VJ Payne is dealing with “a pretty good bone bruise” and is set to miss “about three to four weeks.”
“[He] was a player that was playing real well for us. He was really building a role for himself, but he will be fine,” Glenn told the media on Saturday, August 8.
Payne, 22, entered the league as the No. 228 overall pick in the seventh round of April’s draft.
Role and Job Now in Jeopardy
The former Kansas State product’s role with the team and, more importantly, his job are suddenly now in jeopardy.
He is the fifth safety in a room that includes Minkah Fitzpatrick, Andre Cisco, Malachi Moore, and Dane Belton.
Payne was surprisingly still available in the seventh round. Some draft analysts projected him to go as high as the fourth round.
This is disappointing news for a player who is fighting for a roster spot. That three-to-four-week recovery timeline is going to force him to miss the entirety of the preseason. That will also put him against the cut line.
All 32 teams must slice down their rosters to 53 players by Sunday, August 30, at 6 pm ET.
Payne signed a four-year, $4.5 million rookie contract this offseason.
Jets Dodge Bullet With Injuries
On Saturday, August 8, the Jets held a scrimmage at their facilities. During that practice session, star pass rusher David Bailey “was down in pain and got up gingerly. Limps off the field. Being worked on with trainers,” Richie of Jets Media posted on X.
Several beat reporters shared a similar update on social media. That sent fans into a craze.
However coach Glenn calmed down the masses after practice.
“He got up after the ankle, he will be fine too. We just gotta keep him away from the quarterback,” Glenn responded with a smile.
On the play that Bailey got hurt, he rolled into the leg of Jets starting quarterback Geno Smith, according to Connie Carberg.
A reporter asked a follow-up on the Bailey injury and whether the team would categorize him “day-to-day.”
“Yes, I would say he’s day-to-day, but let me make sure because he got up and I think he jogged off, so I’d think it would be that,” Glenn explained.
One More Injury Note
Pass rusher Kingsley Jonathan suffered a “thigh bruise” injury during the scrimmage. Coach Glenn said, “he will be fine.”
Jonathan is fighting for a roster spot and is one of two Kingsleys on the team. Enagbare is dealing with an ankle after getting stepped on earlier this week.
He is expected to be a key part of that pass-rushing rotation in 2026. The two flashy big names are Bailey and Will McDonald. The two that are getting less attention are Enagbare and Joseph Ossai.
Ossai was placed on the active PUP [Physically Unable to Perform] list at the beginning of training camp. ESPN’s Rich Cimini revealed that he was placed on that list due to a failed physical. However, we don’t know the specific reason that he failed the physical.
Jets Rookie Gets Hurt, Will Miss a Month of Action