New York Jets-Atlanta Falcons injury report
The New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons have released their final injury reports ahead of Sunday’s game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Final injury report for NYJ-ATL, Week 5, London. #Jets pic.twitter.com/2H27roryj5
— Robby Sabo (@RobbySabo) October 8, 2021
New York Jets injuries
Four Jets players are listed as out after missing all practices throughout the week: safety Adrian Colbert (concussion), tight end Tyler Kroft (back), safety Marcus Maye (ankle), and wide receiver Jeff Smith (concussion).
Colbert has started the Jets’ previous three games at safety. His role diminished each week, with his snap portion dropping from 97% in Week 2 to 63% in Week 3 and 26% in Week 4.
After Jarrod Wilson was recently released and signed to the practice squad, Ashtyn Davis and Sharrod Neasman are now the only healthy safeties on the roster heading into London.
Kroft’s absence opened the door for undrafted rookie tight end Kenny Yeboah, who was promoted from the practice squad and will make his season debut.
Maye is continuing on the 3-to-4 week timetable he was given for his ankle injury following Week 3.
Smith will miss his second consecutive game as he remains in concussion protocol.
Cornerback Brandin Echols (concussion) and defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd (knee) are listed as questionable but were full participants in Friday’s practice and are expected to play. Both players missed Wednesday’s practice before upgrading to a limited capacity on Thursday and getting back into the full groove on Friday.
Echols has been the Jets’ starting right-side cornerback this season. He left the Jets’ Week 4 win over Tennessee after 16 snaps and was replaced by Javelin Guidry.
Shepherd has been a key cog in the Jets’ defensive line rotation, playing 39% of the team’s defensive snaps on average. He is coming off a rough game against the Titans in which he committed three penalties.
However, Shepherd has rushed the passer decently this season, collecting four pressures on 56 pass-rush snaps for a 7.1% pressure rate. The 2020 league average for interior defensive linemen was 7.0%.
Wide receivers Denzel Mims (non-COVID illness) and Elijah Moore (concussion) are all systems go, although it remains TBD whether Mims will be active for the game now that Moore is back in the fold.
After two games as a healthy scratch, Mims returned against the Titans last week and played 10 snaps, drawing zero targets.
Moore missed his first game of the regular season last week while he remained in concussion protocol.
Atlanta Falcons injuries
Atlanta is in dire straits on the injury front.
Wide receiver Calvin Ridley will miss the game with a personal issue. Ridley is responsible for 66% of the receptions made by Atlanta’s wide receivers this season (255 of 389).
The Falcons will also be without wide receiver Russell Gage (ankle) and defensive tackle Marlon Davidson (ankle). Gage is Atlanta’s starting slot receiver. Davidson is a rotational defensive tackle.
Safety Erik Harris (calf) and cornerback Avery Williams (hamstring) are both listed as doubtful.
Harris is Atlanta’s starting strong safety and has been one of the lone bright spots in a secondary that has been torched this season. He leads all NFL safeties with five passes defended.
Williams is Atlanta’s second-string slot cornerback. He filled in for starting slot cornerback Isaiah Oliver following Oliver’s season-ending knee injury.
