New York Jets practice notes: Sam Darnold’s plight; Crowder, Berrios, Herndon exit early

Jets X-Factor's New York Jets practice notes for a Tuesday at camp details Sam Darnold's plight as well as more injuries. FLORHAM PARK, NJ---Another episode of the walking wounded hit a practice field near you on Tuesday, and as expected, it was a thriller with plenty of surprises and disappointments. Jamison Crowder, Braxton Berrios, Chris Herndon and Chris Hogan all left practice early due to injury, New York Jets head coach Adam Gase told the media. This left Sam Darnold with Jehu Chesson, Josh Malone and undrafted free agent George Campbell as the only healthy wideouts towards the end of practice (with Donte Moncrief on his way). Despite the unfortunate circumstances, young Darnold hit Chesson on a back-shoulder play during a two-minute drill that ended team sessions that helped set up a potential simulated game-winning field goal. https://twitter.com/RobbySabo/status/1300808305556754434 How can Gase make things work for Darnold with the sheer number of injuries? "Today was a good example when we did that two-minute drive," Gase told the media after practice, "Sam (Darnold) went out there, confident, trusted those guys who were with him. I don't think any of those three really have been playing the positions they've normally been playing with him, and he figured out a way to move the ball and finish that two-minute drive." Incredibly, there's nothing out of the ordinary at practice that could possibly explain the injuries. Each practice showcases a regular NFL-type session. Even the pre-practice routine is as usual as it can possibly get. "I do think we're not the only ones," Gase said about his team's injuries. "There are a lot of teams in the league right now who are dealing with all kinds of injuries. I don't think it's being publicized as much ... as you guys get to see this everyday." 7 on 7 Struggles Positionals ruled the practice for the most part. Special teams also played a large role. But when the team broke off into 7-on-7, Darnold and the offense struggled. Quarterbacks and good offenses that partake in 7 on 7 rarely put the ball on the ground. Nearly everything is a completion and crispness is not up for debate. This is especially true in today's NFL, as covering in this league is a near-impossible chore. For the Jets, Darnold and the offense struggled mightily in 7 on 7 Tuesday---something that cannot happen when there's no pass rush. Darnold was inaccurate and slow to make reads. There's nothing wrong in finding the underneath option when the defense is giving it up, but to not hit that guy quickly enough is to give up YAC. The kid quarterback has to do a better job of firing underneath completions quicker. https://twitter.com/RobbySabo/status/1300794018285092875 Later in teams, Ashtyn Davis picked Darnold and took it to the house. With Marcus Maye injured, Davis slid in as one of the two starting safeties (with Bradley McDougald moving to strong safety). https://twitter.com/RobbySabo/status/1300805270633938945 Darnold fired a pass down the left seam but never saw the 2-deep safeties both creeping down post-snap (in a robber/lurk position). A terrible decision capped off an even worse 7 on 7 session. He did rebound a bit in the two-minute drill team session to end practice, but Darnold's plight is extraordinarily clear. Although the offensive line is coming together a bit when asked to pass protect, his weapons are a constant revolving door of unknowns. It's tough to fully get all over Darnold under these circumstances, but it would also be unwise to give him a free pass. His progression reading must be crisper and executed much quicker, regardless of the personnel. It's up to him to lift this offense when it needs a boost. Pass Rushing Signs With Tarell Basham and Jabari Zuniga still sidelined, Gregg Williams is in need of a true edge rusher. One man who's stepped it up as of late has been Frankie Luvu. Called upon to provide a bit of athleticism, Luvu's been spotted opposite Jordan Jenkins on the edge. On Tuesday, he beat right tackle George Fant with a tremendous inside move en route to the quarterback. A Luvu emergence would provide the Jets defense exactly what it needs: edge athleticism. Brian Poole Returns The Jets defense is just different when Brian Poole is out there. Unlike normal NFL slot corners, Poole's physicality and strong safety abilities allow Williams to do so much more with his schemes. Poole returned and practiced in-full Tuesday morning. "Oh man, I'm feeling a lot better," Poole told reporters after practice. "It felt really good to get back on the grass with my teammates and get back out there." Although he would not go into specifics regarding his dehydration incident and eventual diagnoses, he feels fully ready to go now. "It was kind of scary, but I have a preexisting condition that I have to deal with," Poole added. "Camp is always kind of tough for me, but I'm good once I work through it." Injuries Breshad Perriman (knee) Lawrence Cager (knee) Denzel Mims (hamstring) La'Mical Perine (ankle) Marcus Maye (calf) Pierre Desir (hamstring) Tarell Basham (ankle) Jabari Zuniga (quad) Chuma Edoga (non-COVID-19-related illness) Cameron Clark (dehydration) Braxton Berrios Jamison Crowder Chris Hogan Chris Herndon The last five guys on the list all began practice but wound up pulled for one reason or another. Gase mentioned that Berrios, Crowder, Hogan and Herndon all experienced some sort of "tightness" and were pulled for precautionary reasons. In Herndon's case, it's a chest, which could be concerning. "I can't answer that" was Gase's response when asked if Herndon's injury mirrors what he dealt with last year. The good news on the injury front deals with La'Mical Perine and Brian Poole. Perine's MRI returned just an ankle sprain while Poole, as mentioned previously, returned to practice Tuesday in his familiar slot role. Gase also believes there are three guys who are close to returning, and he mentioned they're all defensive backs and wide receivers (Pierre Desir and Denzel Mims being two of the three). https://twitter.com/RobbySabo/status/1300790543082024963 https://twitter.com/RobbySabo/status/1300788839292731394 https://twitter.com/RobbySabo/status/1300787379523985408

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