Tag: Chris Herndon

Jets TE Ryan Griffin out 6 months after ankle surgery

Jets Ryan Griffin has surgery to repair ligament damage in his ankle last week.

After numerous injuries to his ankle this season, Jets tight end Ryan Griffin was placed on injured reserve with serious ligament damage. He will face months of rehab, but the hope is that he’ll see the field again by training camp.

The tight end told reporters Monday that he had surgery last week to repair ligament damage in his ankle, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Doctors estimate that his recovery time could be upwards of six months, jeopardizing his availability for OTAs.

The Jets were no strangers to injuries this season. This one, though, cuts a bit deeper, as Gang Green inked Griffin to a three-year, $9.6 million extension in November. Seeing how he’ll turn 30 in January, the team must remain optimistic that their playmaking tight end can return to form.

The injury also opens the door for Chris Herndon to reassert himself amongst the starters. After being taken by the Jets in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL draft, New York hoped that Herndon would develop into a viable weapon for Sam Darnold. 

While Griffin will be sidelined for much of the offseason, the Jets have invested notable capital in him. To say he’s already lost the starting role would be premature, but this will give Herndon an edge over the summer. 

Jets sign TE Ryan Griffin to three-year contract extension

Ryan Griffin’s enjoyed a mini-breakout season with the Jets and will in the team’s future moving forward.

Ryan Griffin is officially part of the Jets’ plans for the future.

New York has inked the tight end a three-year extension that can earn him up to $10.8 million with “reachable incentives,” according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. The deal also reportedly includes $4 million in guaranteed money.

After the NFL suspended Chris Herndon for the first four games of the season, the Jets scooped up Griffin two months after the Texans released him. Not much of him was expected when New York signed him to a one-year, $1.2 million contract other than as a stop-gap until Herndon returns, but the veteran tight end has proven to be a solid contributor on the offense with Herndon now out for the season due to injury.

Griffin leads the Jets with four receiving touchdowns and has also caught 25 passes for 225 yards. He has been one of New York’s most reliable receivers with an 83.3 catch percentage, helping him earn the moniker “sticky hands” after recording five receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown against the Redskins in Week 11.

With Griffin, Herndon and rookie Trevon Wesco manning the position, the Jets have locked up their tight end group for the foreseeable future.

Chris Herndon’s lost season tells the story of the 2019 Jets

Chris Herndon was supposed to be an integral part of the Jets offense in 2019. Instead, he caught just one pass.

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Chris Herndon’s sophomore season in the NFL fell apart before it could even begin.

Herndon was supposed to be an integral part of the Jets’ offense in 2019, one of Sam Darnold’s top targets. The two developed a solid rapport in their rookie seasons and Herndon quickly established himself as a reliable option in the passing game, catching 39 passes for 502 yards and four touchdowns. With how strongly they closed out the regular season, the sky seemed to be the limit for the duo.

Instead, Darnold got the chance to throw only one pass Herndon’s way this season. After missing New York’s first four games due to a suspension, the Miami product injured his hamstring before returning against the Giants in Week 10, only to sustain a fractured rib that landed him on injured reserve.

“It’s obviously not ideal when you go through something like that and you go through a hamstring and you’re excited to go back out there and play ball,” Darnold said of Herndon’s injury. “Me and Chris are pretty close, so this one sucks, but it is what it is. I know he’s going to attack rehab like he always will. It’s never good when you lose a weapon like Chris.”

Not only is Darnold now missing one of his most talented targets for an extended period of time, but Herndon is robbed of a season that was supposed to be integral in his development. Yes, his suspension was a self-inflicted wound, but Herndon was able to move forward after his DWI charge. He instead appeared to learn from the inexcusable decision.

“It’s disappointing. I feel bad for Chris, because he was excited to get back out there,” Gase said. “For whatever reason, he couldn’t catch a break this year.”

The good news is Herndon will be back and ready to go next year. The former fourth-round pick has a lot of good football left in him and plenty of untapped potential to unlock.

Regardless, Herndon’s nightmare of a season tells the story of the 2019 Jets. Nothing has gone right at One Jets drive so far this year. Herndon is just the latest casualty of New York’s porous luck.

Jets sign B.J. Bello, Kyron Brown as Brian Winters, Chris Herndon head to IR

The Jets signed B.J. Bello and Kyron Brown to the active roster and placed Chris Herndon and Brian Winters on injured reserve.

With a couple key injuries over the weekend, the Jets were forced to make some roster moves.

The team announced on Tuesday that it has signed linebacker B.J. Bello and cornerback Kyron Brown to the active roster. In order to make room for them, the Jets placed left guard Brian Winters and tight end Chris Herndon on season-ending injured reserve.

Bello was signed by the Jets at the end of October but was released pretty quickly after that. He was originally with the Browns practice squad in 2017 after going undrafted out of Illinois State. Bello has also been on the Packers and Cardinals practice squads in addition to the Eagles’ roster. He spent training camp this season with the Texans before being cut. In 19 games, Bello has registered nine total tackles.

As for Brown, he has been on the Jets practice squad all season. He signed as an undrafted free agent out of Akron this year and had five tackles in the preseason. He has yet to appear in a regular season game and could see some playing time given the troubles the Jets are having at cornerback.

Jets injury report: Chris Herndon, Brian Winters to miss significant time

Both Chris Herndon and Brian Winters will miss significant time due to injury.

The Jets lost two more starters due to injury following their 34-27 win over the Giants.

Adam Gase spoke to the media Monday and said that tight end Chris Herndon fractured a rib on Sunday and will be out for “an extended period of time.” For Herndon, it’s been a wild ride this season. He missed the first four games of the season due to suspension. He then then missed four more games due to a hamstring injury. Sunday was his first game of the season; he had one catch on the day.

The other big injury the Jets suffered was to offensive lineman Brian Winters. He re-dislocated his shoulder. Gase said it will be hard to get him back on the field this season. More likely than not, he’ll need surgery.

Linebacker Brandon Copeland has a hip strain and will see a specialist, so that could be another issue for New York’s already-depleted group of linebackers.

The only good news is that Le’Veon Bell is okay after leaving Sunday’s game with sore ribs.