Jets place 5 on IR to make room for Josh Andrews, Daniel Brown, Matthias Farley and Nate Hairston

The Jets placed five players on injured reserve to make room for Josh Andrews, Daniel Brown, Nate Hairston and Matthias Farley.

One day after releasing them in order to get their roster down to 53 players, the Jets signed offensive lineman Josh Andrews, tight end Daniel Brown, safety Matthias Farley, cornerback Nate Hairston and back to the team’s active roster on Monday.

In order to make room for Andrews, Brown, Farley and Hairston, New York placed offensive lineman Cameron Clark (shoulder/knee), linebacker Patrick Onwuasor (knee), wide receivers Jeff Smith (shoulder) and Vyncint Smith (core muscle surgery), and defensive lineman/outside linebacker Jabari Zuniga (quad) on injured reserve.

With the new injured reserve rules in place, players are allowed to return to practice after three weeks of being on the shelf, which would make them eligible for a Week 4 return. Getting back some reinforcements at wide receiver in Week 4 could be a crucial boost for the Jets as they have a short week with a Thursday Night Football matchup against the Broncos.

Both Smith’s showed flashes of promise throughout training camp, but also fell victim to the barrage of injuries that decimated the wide receiver room. Between injuries to both Breshad Perriman and Denzel Mims and both Braxton Berrios and Jamison Crowder banged up, New York may have to rely on both undrafted free agent wideouts to play some significant snaps early in the year.

Onwuasor sustained a non-contact knee injury in training camp, but doesn’t have any ligament damage. He’s out 4-5 weeks and for the time being, leaves the Jets thin at inside linebacker with only three players — Avery Williamson, Blake Cahsman and Neville Hewittt — that remain healthy. Zuniga, New York’s third-round pick out of Florida missed the majority of training camp dealing with a quad injury. Clark, a fourth-round pick out of Charlotte, has been banged up with a shoulder and knee injury.

The new rules allow Gang Green to demonstrate some roster flexibility before the start of the season. By placing five players on injured reserve and adding just four, New York has one remaining roster spot to add another depth piece prior to Sunday’s game against the Bills.

Jets injury report: Patrick Onwuasor out 4-5 weeks, Chris Herndon suffers chest injury

The hits just keep coming for the New York Jets.

The hits just keep coming for the Jets.

The latest big blow is to Patrick Onwuasor. The linebacker is expected to miss four to five weeks after hurting his knee. Signed as a free agent this offseason, Onwuasor was expected to be a key part of New York’s middle linebacker rotation. Instead, he will miss at least the first few games of the season.

Onwuasor was not the only Jet to make injury news on Tuesday. TE Chris Herndon (chest) was one of four pass-catchers to leave practice with what the Jets generally described as “tightness” among the group. He joined wide receivers Jamison Crowder, Braxton Berrios and Chris Hogan. Crowder said he had tightness in his lower-leg and that it wasn’t serious. WR Breshad Perriman (knee) also remained out of practice, leaving QB Sam Darnold with no one but backups to throw to.

S Marcus Maye (calf) was also held out of practice, though Adam Gase has said he’s being cautious with the defensive back. OL Cameron Clark (dehydration) and OL Chuma Edoga (non-COVID illness) also missed practice time.

The good news is that rookie RB La’Mical Perine’s recent low-ankle sprain is not considered to be as serious as the Jets first believed. RG Greg Van Roten (oblique) got back in team drills after being limited for a few days, while CB Brian Poole (dehydration) did some individual work. RB Josh Adams (hamstring) came back as well.

CB Pierre Desir (hamstring) is close to returning. Gase also hopes to have WR Denzel Mims (hamstring) back by the end of the week.

Jets injury report: Breshad Perriman sits out practice with knee injury

Breshad Perriman was held out of Sunday’s practice due to a knee injury.

Add Breshad Perriman to the list of injured Jets wide receivers.

Perriman sat out of Sunday’s practice due to a knee injury. His knee swelled up a bit on Saturday, but the injury is not considered serious and the expectation is that he’ll be back on Monday.

RT Chuma Edoga didn’t finish practice, as he suffered a calf injury. Edoga is in a battle at right tackle with George Fant. Meanwhile, LB Patrick Onwuasor had tests done on his knee that revealed no torn ligaments. He’ll be out for an extended period of time.

WR Denzel Mims (hamstring), CB Brian Poole (dehydration), CB Pierre Desir (hamstring) LB James Burgess (back), Corbin Kaufusi (hamstring), RB Josh Adams (hamstring), S Mathias Farley (hamstring), OL Connor McDermott (knee), DL John Franklin Myers (groin) and DE Jabari Zuniga (quad) were all held out of practice once again. Poole had an extreme reaction to dehydration due to an undisclosed condition.

LB Avery Williamson said he felt good in his return to practice after being out for about a year with a torn ACL.

Jets injury report: Patrick Onwuasor among 3 new injuries

Patrick Onwuasor, Josh Adams and John Franklin Myers all suffered new injuries for the Jets.

The New York Jets announced three new injuries on Saturday.

Patrick Onwuasor (knee), Josh Adams (hamstring) and John Franklin Myers (groin) were all forced to leave practice early. Onwuasor hurt himself chasing down TE Ross Travis. He was able to walk off the field under his own power.

Denzel Mims (hamstring), Pierre Desir (hamstring), Brian Poole (dehydration), James Burgess (back) and Jabari Zuniga (quad) were all held out of practice again. The Jets are hoping Mims can start individual drills in the coming days. Meanwhile, the Jets are not rushing Poole back, as he is still dealing with dehydration issues. He had a similar problem last summer as well.

Avery Williamson (knee), Ryan Griffin (ankle) and Daniel Brown (NFI list) were all activated and participated in individual drills for the first time this training camp.

8 Jets who need to be better in 2020

Jets Wire takes a look at eight players who need to take their game up a notch for New York in 2020.

Joe Douglas spent the entire offseason revamping the Jets’ roster. He reworked the offensive line, brought back two impact defenders, added two more in free agency, gave Sam Darnold two new weapons to work with and used the NFL draft to address any remaining needs.

It’s going to take much more than a few free-agent signings and draft picks for New York to contend in 2020, though.

The Jets’ roster is littered with players who underperformed in 2019 and need to flip the script beginning in Week 1 against the Bills. Some of those players have been with New York for years, while others are new to the organization. Either way, any chance at success in 2020 hinges on eight players being significantly better than they were a year ago.

Let’s take a look at who those players are

Sam Darnold

It goes without saying that the Jets have a lot riding on Sam Darnold entering 2020. New York needs consistency out of the quarterback position if it wants to contend. That is something Darnold has not been able to bring to the table since his rookie season.

The hope is that year three is the one where Darnold finally takes the leap Adam Gase and company have been waiting for. He has a good enough arm to succeed and the flashes of potential he has shown since 2018 are a testament to the kind of player he can be when he is on his game.

The Jets will go as Darnold goes this upcoming season. If he struggles again, it’s going to be a long year at One Jets Drive.

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Jets LB Blake Cashman in prime position to pick up where he left off

C.J. Mosley won’t play in 2020, which means Blake Cashman could re-assert himself as a starter on the Jets.

Blake Cashman looked buried on the depth chart when the Jets arrived for training camp with eight linebackers on the roster. With starters C.J. Mosley and Avery Williamson back from injury, the free agent signing of Patrick Onwuasor and the retention of Neville Hewitt and James Burgess, Cashman didn’t have a clear path to playing time despite a promising rookie campaign in 2019.

But now that Mosley won’t play in 2020 after opting out, Cashman suddenly has another opportunity to remind his coaches why they promoted him to a starting job in Week 2 last year.

Cashman earned a big role in the Jets defense last season after the team promoted him to starting inside linebacker following injuries the injuries to Williamson and Mosley. He started five of the next six games, averaged 67 snaps and tallied 38 combined tackles, three quarterback hits and half a sack.

But, like most players on the Jets in 2019, a devastating injury befell the young Cashman and he missed the final nine games of the season with a shoulder tear.

The injury soiled a promising rookie. Now Cashman has to prove himself all over again in his second season – both in his recovery and his ability.

“I understand as a young player, going from Year One to Year Two, you’re expected to make a big leap,” Cashman told the team website in February, “so I definitely want to put myself in the best position possible to do that.”

Nothing is guaranteed for Cashman because he’ll be competing against players with more, starting experience.

Onwuasor has the inside track to take Mosley’s job, mostly because he’s done it before in Baltimore when Mosley signed with the Jets in 2019. Hewitt, too, should be a contender for the second inside linebacker spot after he started 12 games in 2019. Burgess took over for Cashman in Week 7 and started the final 10 games of the season, but he’s currently on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

Cashman could be the answer, but the more likely scenario is a mix-and-match of these linebackers alongside Williamson in the middle. All four have different strengths and weaknesses so it will be paramount for Gregg Williams to build schemes that align with a player’s skillset.

Cashman, for example, is a strong coverage linebacker. He excelled in 2019 in defending the pass, allowing only 0.95 yards per cover snap and 6.0 yards per target, according to Michael Nania.

The Jets have a bounty of starting-caliber replacements for Mosley in the middle of the defense. Will it be enough to supplant Mosley’s leadership and production? It’s hard to tell this offseason, but Williams has worked with less in the past – including the 2019 Jets.

Cashman will likely start behind everyone else as he eases back into play, but he proved in his rookie season he can move up quickly into a starting role.

Adam Gase talks C.J. Mosley, Le’Veon Bell and more with Jets training camp in full swing

Jets head coach Adam Gase spoke with reporters via conference call on Wednesday. Here’s what he had to say.

The Jets have yet to take the practice field this summer, but with the “acclimation period”, which consists of strength and conditioning, underway, training camp is essentially in full swing at One Jets Drive.

It has been an eventful last week and a half for head coach Adam Gase, as New York’s roster has endured a good amount of turnover. Jamal Adams is off to Seattle, while C.J. Mosley decided to opt-out of the 2020 season because of family health-related COVID-19 concerns. Brian Winters, Quincy Enunwa and Trenton Cannon are also no longer with the organization, as the three were handed their walking papers to kick off the second week of camp.

On Wednesday, Gase spoke with reporters via conference call, addressing the Jets’ recent string of transactions, how they could go about replacing Mosley, Le’Veon Bell’s motivation to succeed this upcoming season, and much more.

Here are the biggest takeaways from Gase’s most recent chat with the media.

Better now than later

Adam Gase never wanted to lose Jamal Adams and C.J. Mosley. The two were key cogs in Gregg Williams’ defense and crucial to the Jets’ ability to compete in 2020. However, the way New York’s second-year head coach sees it, it’s better that the two players departed now as opposed to in the middle of the season.

When speaking with reporters, Gase noted that losing Adams and Mosley in the early parts of training camp is semi-helpful, as it gives the Jets time to adjust to life without them. Had Adams and Mosley departed mid-season, New York would have had to build a new defensive scheme on the fly, which is an extremely tough task for any defensive coordinator — even the veteran Williams.

The Jets have a month to build their defense without two key parts. It’s not going to be easy, but at least they will have time to work out the kinks before Week 1 rolls around.

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6 players who benefited most from the Jets’ roster moves

The Jets lost a few starters to roster moves, but these players are in line for bigger roles on the team, now.

The Jets made a couple of big moves this week as they trimmed their roster down to 80 men before the beginning of training camp.

Not only did starting inside linebacker C.J. Mosley opt out of the 2020 season because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, but New York also cut a couple of key contributors from the past few seasons. Among them were guard Brian Winters, wide receiver Quincy Enunwa and running back/return specialist Trenton Cannon.

The loss of those players opens up some opportunities for players to step in and assume bigger roles, or elevate some players’ value entering the 2020 season. With that being said, here are six Jets who benefitted the most from Gang Green’s recent string of transactions.

Avery Williamson

When Mosley opted out, Williamson immediately became more important to the Jets. He was once considered a likely cap casualty because of contract, age and an ACL injury that cost him the 2019 season, but now, Williamson is the de-facto leader of New York’s defense.

Williamson should be at the center of Gregg Williams’ defensive scheme in 2020. It won’t be the same role he played two years ago, but the Jets will need him to anchor the front-seven with Mosley out of the picture.

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2020 wouldn’t be the first time Patrick Onwuasor replaced C.J. Mosley

If Patrick Onwuasor wins a starting job in training camp, it wouldn’t be the first time he has stepped in for C.J. Mosley.

Patrick Onwuasor knows a thing or two about stepping in for C.J. Mosley in the middle of a defense.

When Mosley left the Ravens for the Jets two offseasons ago, Onwuasor became Baltimore’s top inside linebacker. Now, with Mosley opting out of the 2020 season because of COVID-19 concerns, there is a chance Onwuasor will have to take over a starting spot for Mosley yet again.

Onwuasor is a prime contender to take Mosley’s place, but he will not be handed a starting job. Avery Williamson, Blake Cashman, Neville Hewitt and James Burgess are all more than capable of starting in Gregg Williams’ 3-4 defense. Williamson is now likely to have one of the two starting linebacker spots already locked, meaning Onwuasor, Cashman, Hewitt and Burgess will have to duke it out throughout training camp.

Cashman showed plenty of promise as a rookie, while Hewitt and Burgess filled in admirably for Mosley and Williamson last season. All three are also comfortable playing in Williams’ scheme, while Onwuasor will have the next month to figure things out.

Before Mosley’s decision to opt-out, Onwuasor was viewed as a front-runner to begin 2020 as a starter opposite his former running mate. It’s unlikely that has changed. The only difference now is that Williamson, not Mosley, would be Onwuasor’s partner in the middle.

Onwuasor took over as Baltimore’s MIKE linebacker last year and struggled in place of Mosley. Previously the weakside backer, Onwuasor was ultimately replaced by Josh Bynes in the middle of the season. Onwuasor recorded 64 tackles, six quarterback hits, five TFLs and three sacks.

With that said, Willaimson can be the MIKE linebacker. And Onwuasor’s ability to cover and experience playing in a complicated defensive scheme makes him ideal for the other starting job. Cashman was solid as a rookie, but still has a lot to prove. Hewitt was a good run-stopper but was brutal in pass coverage. Burgess profiles more as a rotational backup than he does a full-time starter.

The Jets need a proven starting linebacker to fill the shoes left by Mosley’s absence. Based on his track record, Onwuasor is the one for the job. As long as he stays healthy and shows that he is comfortable playing in New York’s defense, there is no reason why he shouldn’t be starting next to Williamson once Week 1 rolls around.

Updated look at Jets’ middle linebacker depth chart after C.J. Mosley opts out

Here’s what the Jets’ linebacker depth chart will look like after the opt-out of C.J. Mosley.

The Jets took a hit at middle linebacker on Saturday after C.J. Mosley opted out of the 2020 NFL season.

Mosley is opting out for family health concerns, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. So with no Mosley out for another season after he missed all but two games in 2019, the Jets’ depth at inside linebacker will be tested.

Fortunately for New York, it has depth up the middle. Mosley’s absence likely means Avery Williamson can reclaim a starting spot after suffering a torn ACL last preseason. There was a chance the Jets were going to move on from Williamson this summer — doing so would have saved them $6.5 million — but Mosley’s opt-out should change that.

Patrick Onwuasor is the other most likely option to start. Mosley’s former running mate in Baltimore, he came over from the Ravens this offseason after a disappointing 2019 campaign. However, Onwuasor played well in 2018 when he recorded 5.5 sacks.

As for the rest of the depth chart, the Jets have a solid mix of experience and youth. Neville Hewitt played well in place of Williamson last season. He had 73 total tackles, three sacks, five pass defenses and two interceptions in 12 starts. The Jets also have James Burgess and Blake Cashman, who both started at times in 2019 in place of injured teammates. Burgess had 78 total tackles, one safety, five pass defenses and one interception in just 10 games while Cashman had 38 total tackles and one pass defense in seven games before tearing his labrum and fracturing his shoulder.

There is also B.J. Bello is projected as the third-string middle linebacker. An emergency option, he recorded five tackles in seven games last season.

Despite Mosley’s absence in 2020, this unit still has the potential to be impactful. Gregg Williams’ system allows players to play to their strengths rather than requiring a certain skill set, which also allows for flexibility. That siad, no one here will replicate what Mosley is capable of, something the Jets got a taste of in Mosley’s brief appearances in 2019.