Jets injury report: Vyncint Smith latest WR to miss practice

Vyncint Smith’s core injury leaves the Jets very thin at wide receiver.

The Jets’ wide receivers group is getting thinner by the day.

Vyncint Smith became the second Jets receiver to go down with an injury as he missed Sunday’s practice with a core issue. Smith will see a specialist on Monday.

Denzel Mims missed his second straight day of practice with a hamstring injury. Adam Gase gave no update on a timetable for his return. With two injured receivers, the Jets signed free agent Chris Hogan. He won’t be able to practice for a few days until he goes through all the COVID-19 protocols, though.

Elsewhere, Cameron Clark is week to week as he deals with a shoulder injury. Brian Poole sat out of Sunday’s practice due to dehydration.

Pierre Desir also missed his second day of practice because of a hamstring injury. The injury isn’t considered serious, though. Bronson Kaufusi (hamstring) and Jabari Zuniga (quad) missed a second consecutive day of practice as well.

Jets injury report: Denzel Mims, Frank Gore, Pierre Desir miss practice with hamstrings

Denzel Mims, Frank Gore and two other Jets players missed practice due to hamstring injuries.

The Jets are one practice in and they’re already dealing with injuries.

New York completed its first official practice of training camp with no pads on Friday, but without a few key players. Denzel Mims, Frank Gore, Pierre Desir and Bronson Kaufusi all missed practice with hamstring injuries. Rookie Jabari Zuniga sat out of practice due to a quad injury.

Adam Gase said Mims took an awkward step while running routes on air a couple of days ago. Gase added that it’s not ideal for Mims, a rookie, to miss practice due to injury considering there were no OTAs or minicamp this offseason. Gase mentioned that the Jets could bring in a veteran wide receiver if Mims is out for an extended period of time.

Vyncint Smith got reps as the No. 3 wide receiver in place of Mims.

As for Gore, Gase said he tweaked his hamstring last week and the Jets sat him out of practice as a precaution. Gore has been doing some group work, though.

Jets activate James Burgess off Reserve/COVID-19 list

The Jets activated J.D. Davis off of the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

James Burgess is ready to go for Jets training camp.

Burgess was activated off the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Thursday. Burgess spent eight days on the list dating back to Aug. 5. Being on the Reserve/COVID-19 list means Burgess was either infected with coronavirus or that he also could’ve been exposed to someone else who had it and was forced to quarantine.

Burgess has another opportunity to see significant playing time this season with C.J. Mosley opting out due to COVID-19 concerns. Burgess will likely be one of the backup linebackers in 2020 after performing well as a fill-in starter in 2019.

Burgess played well in 10 games last season. He recorded 80 total tackles, half a sack, five pass defenses, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception.

What we know about the Jets’ 2020 training camp schedule

Here is what we know about the Jets’ 2020 training camp schedule.

Jets training camp is going to be a completely different experience in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Jets’ rookies arrived on July 21, while the veterans showed up on July 28. All players had to have two negative tests for COVID-19 before being allowed in the training facility. The players will continue to be tested every day for two straight weeks, dating back to Aug. 1.

Once all the players tested negative for COVID-19 twice, they could begin taking physicals and participating in team activities on Aug. 1. Beginning on Aug. 3, the players start their acclimation period that runs through Aug. 11. It’s basically an extended ramp-up period for players to build up their strength and conditioning.

On Aug. 12, the first non-pads practice opens up, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. That gradual ramp-up period will run through Aug. 16. On Aug. 17, the Jets and all 31 other teams can begin padded practices. Those will go until Sept. 6 when teams start to prepare for their Week 1 matchups. For the Jets, they’ll be up in Buffalo in the first week of the regular season.

There will be no preseason games in 2020, either. So the first time the Jets will be able to line up against another team will be in Week 1 against the Bills. Overall, it’s a 48-day training camp in order to get the players ready to go for Week 1.

Adam Gase likens unusual training camp to 2011 lockout

With limited practices and no preseason games, Joe Douglas and Adam Gase will be challenged with evaluating players.

Joe Douglas and Adam Gase will be challenged this training camp with limited practices and no preseason games.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NFL eliminated all preseason games in 2020. Meanwhile, all 32 teams will have to wait longer than usual before holding on-field practices with contact. So the evaluation period for Douglas and Gase will be a lot different this training camp.

However, Gase had a similar experience with the lockout in 2011 and is confident players can adapt to the given situation.

“We had the lockout year. We never even had any meeting time. It was basically a deal got done, we got thrown on the field the next day,” Gase said, per NJ.com. “Football players, they figure out a way to get it done. They figure out a way to adjust to the situation that’s at hand and that’s what I expect our guys to be able to do. I do think we got the right kind of guys in this locker room that they’re gonna do everything they can to put ourselves in position so once we get rolling in this thing, we’ll be ready to go.”

As for Douglas, he is more worried for the younger players who don’t have a lot of on-field NFL experience. He said the virtual meetings have been going well, but there’s nothing like an NFL practice. So they’re going to have to get up to speed rather quickly.

“It’s a challenge to get young guys on the field,” Douglas said. “The feedback has been outstanding, regarding our virtual meetings with the rookies and the entire team throughout the spring, but obviously you can’t duplicate the reps on the field. And so we need to get on the field. We need to build an on-field chemistry, and we need to do that soon.”

All 32 teams are going through the same thing the Jets are, but New York is still trying to figure out its roster outlook. The Jets don’t have a lot of players locked into a certain position. There is going to be a lot of competition at One Jets Drive with so many positions up for grabs.

Without all the reps that the players are usually accustomed to, it’s going to make Douglas and Gase’s jobs that much more difficult when it’s time for roster cuts.

6 starting spots up for grabs as Jets enter training camp

Jets Wire takes a look at six starting spots still up for grabs as the Jets get set to report to training camp.

The Jets have a lot of things to figure out once they report to training camp on July 28 — especially when it comes to their starting lineup.

General manager Joe Douglas spent the offseason improving New York’s roster, but there is still plenty of uncertainty surrounding who is starting at multiple positions on both sides of the ball. Fortunately for the Jets, training camp is the ideal time for position battles to unfold and for starting jobs to be won.

So, which starting positions will be up for grabs once training camp kicks off in less than three weeks? Here are the six to keep an eye on.

No. 2 Wide Receiver

Jamison Crowder is entrenched as a starter in the slot and speed demon Breshad Perriman is a lock to start on the outside. That leaves the No. 2 spot on New York’s depth chart open for the taking.

Quincy Enunwa and Denzel Mims were set to battle for the job until a neck injury put Enunwa out for the season. Mims now has a major inside track at beginning 2020 starting opposite Perriman, but the likes of Braxton Berrios, Josh Doctson and Vyncint Smith will have something to say about that throughout training camp and the preseason.

Mims is likely to emerge as the winner of this position battle, but that is not a foregone conclusion. Nothing is going to be handed to the rookie in his first NFL training camp. If he slips up at any point, New York’s “veterans” will be chomping at the bit to impress and take the spot.

Pages: 123456

Gov. Phil Murphy says Jets, Giants won’t have to quarantine before training camp

According to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, the Jets will not have to quarantine before the beginning of training camp.

Despite New Jersey’s quarantine rule requiring individuals traveling from states seeing high COVID-19 numbers to isolate for 14 days, the Jets and Giants will not have to worry about quarantining before the beginning of training camp.

According to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, New Jersey’s quarantine rule has a “carve-out out for essential travel.” Pro sports teams qualify for that carve-out, meaning both the Jets, whose facilities are located in Florham Park, and the Giants, who reside in East Rutherford, are exempt from isolating.

“We do have a carve-out for essential travel and a professional sports team would qualify for that carve-out,” Murphy said while appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Friday. “We’d probably, without putting this in stone, I’m sure we’d probably want to do one, and more than one, test for the virus when they got here. Or ask them to take it as they’re leaving wherever their host state is. That’s the minimum standard.”

The Jets and Giants are scheduled to report to training camp on July 28. The same essential travel “carve-out” also applies to players traveling to New York and Connecticut, like members of the Buffalo Bills, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport confirmed with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office.

“A 14-day quarantine doesn’t work in an NFL schedule,” Murphy said. “So, at least the testing piece would have to be there, and I think if anyone is symptomatic or they’ve tested positive already, I’d hope they wouldn’t get on the plane.”