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Former Rutgers football star Tyler Kroft remains unable to practice, but the New York Jets tight end is getting respect from his head coach.
Kroft did not play two weeks ago in the Jets 27-20 loss at the Atlanta Falcons. And coming off a bye week, the hope was that he would be available for practice this week. But head coach Robert Saleh said that the player was not going to return to the practice field on Wednesday.
Saleh termed the injury “a back issue.”
“He’s fighting his way back,” Saleh told reporters on Wednesday. “I give him credit, it’s not easy what he’s going through.”
Kroft has six catches for 46 yards this season. He signed this offseason with the Jets as a free agent.
A multi-year starter with Rutgers, Kroft was a First-Team All-AAC selection in 2013. The Cincinnati Bengals made him a third-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
He spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the organization and they spent the next two years with the Buffalo Bills before joining the Jets this offseason.