The Jets are off to a weird start to the 2023 season. After a total revamp on offense and high hopes on defense, the expectation is to compete for the AFC East championship and a deep playoff run. Let’s visit the New York Jets injury report and conduct a baggage check on the injuries threatening the team’s 2023 take-off.
More: The Best New York Sportsbooks
New York Jets Injury Report: First Class
Aaron Rodgers
Flight Status: On-time
Aaron Rodgers was the big headline this offseason… again. His trade to the Jets took forever and he brought a crew along for the ride too.
In one of his first practices, he strained his right calf muscle and ended up on the New York Jets injury report. But, we’ve seen this before in 2016 and 2020.
In 2016 he strained his right calf against the Seahawks and again in 2020 during pre-season camp. These two seasons are the only ones where Rodgers led the league in passing touchdowns with 40+, completion percentage, and interception percentage.
This injury bodes well for Rodger’s production and should not negatively affect the regular season. In fact, he got back into action during a 2-minute drill at the end of mini-camp.
New York Jets Injury Report: Tight End
C.J. Uzomah
Flight Status: On-time, for now.
C.J. Uzomah is a frequent flyer and it’s not a surprise he’s on the New York Jets injury report. Seven injuries in seven years are brutal, especially when they have all been to the right leg.
We were reminded of this on June 9th when a jump ball ended on his right leg with a twisting motion. While it looked bad, the team doc tweeted that it was just a quad strain.
An overuse, or overstretch, of the quad muscle is damning when your position requires both speed and power. But from the New York Jets injury report, it appears there was no visible tear, and it should heal well on its own with rest and therapy.
With NFL-caliber rehab, he should be back to 100% in 3-4 weeks in time for the start of camp.
More: Javonte Williams Injury Outlook
New York Jets OT Injury Report: The Battle for Standby
Flight Status: Delayed – Too Many Planes on the Runway
The big debate has become who will win the starting role at Left Tackle and who will move to Right tackle. Neither Becton nor Brown wants to play on the right side.
Brown is still listed as the starting Left Tackle. Greg Senat is the second Left Tackle on the depth chart, but he is on the injury report with an undisclosed issue. Rookie Carter Warren from Pittsburgh is the 3rd man in line.
Becton is still listed as the starting Right Tackle. Billy Turner is currently the second Right Tackle, but he is a tweener who has played both Guard and Tackle with most of his starts at Guard.
Then there’s 2nd year Right Tackle Max Mitchell who spent his rookie year dealing with a blood clot issue.
More: Breece Hall Fantasy Outlook For 2023
While there is no clear answer as to how this will shake out, there is at least plenty of depth to protect Rodgers. In fact, there’s enough potential in the offensive line to comfortably handle a foreseeable injury.
And in the rare circumstance that everyone stays healthy, the Jets could even trade a disgruntled Tackle if necessary.
Flight Check: Mekhi Becton
Flight Status: Delayed – Runway Maintenance
Mekhi Becton is, on paper, one of the best young Offensive Tackles in the league. But he hasn’t been available to prove it. That’s the main reason why the Jets declined to pick up his 5th-year option.
Last season he landed on the New York Jets injury report with an avulsion fracture to the patella – his quad muscle pulled out a chunk of bone from the kneecap.
He attributed the injury to the change in demands on his body from moving to Right Tackle. This fed some drama, but there could be some truth to it.
If his technique and physical preparation we’re not enough to handle the change in forces, then it could be a reason for the injury. Or it could be because he was over 400 lbs. Or, it might have just been bad luck.
While engaged in a block, another player rolled into his leg. This outside force damaged his MCL and dislocated his kneecap.
More: Sports Betting Training Camp
The weird angle of pull led to the quad pulling hard on a weaker part of the patella. Either way, it led to surgery and a year on the New York Jets injury report
Fast-forward to this year he is starting slowly due to that injury. He was seen leaving practice early and it was immediately hyped into losing a battle for the starting job.
In reality, it’s just a common sense move to ease a recovering player back into action.
Duane Brown
Flight Status: Delayed – Runway Maintenance
Duane Brown is another Offensive Tackle taking it slow due to an injury. Last season he suffered a rotator cuff tear in week 1.
He was rehabbed for 4 weeks and returned in week 5. While he finished the 2022 season, he was never 100% healthy. On February 28th, Brown underwent surgery to repair the rotator cuff. That puts him at about 13 weeks post-op at the start of minicamp.
At this point, he should have a good range of motion and strength but not yet be cleared for contact. The fact that he’s 38 years old does not help his rate of recovery.
The exact details of his rotator cuff tear had not been announced, we know that he was able to play after conservative physical therapy. This suggests he had a smaller tear.
More: The Madden Curse (Is Josh Allen Safe?)
The surgical recovery time for a small, non-complicated rotator cuff tear is usually 4 months. This puts his return-to-play timeline around June 20th.
There’s even an extra month to prepare before camp.
New York Jets Injury Report: Defense
Chuck Clark
Flight Status: Cancelled, Defense – Now Boarding
Finally, we have Safety Chuck Clark, who reported having an ACL tear. His season is over, so the Jets quickly signed Adrian Amos.
While both play Free Safety, a comparison of stats shows Clark is more of a ball hawk while Amos is more versatile. Clark allowed fewer passing yards per completion, but he was also challenged significantly less.
Amos gave up slightly more yards per completion but saw a lot more action, had more tackles, and blitzed more. While Clark is a good player set to be a key piece in the center of the defense, Amos looks like the ideal replacement with bonus versatility.
Overall, the Jet’s defense should remain as a top 5 unit.