During Tuesday’s media availability, the NY Jets’ head coach gave updates on the team’s injuries.
The New York Jets’ offensive line is still battling through numerous injuries, although Robert Saleh did have some good news on Tuesday.
Speaking during his media availability, Saleh gave updates on the injury status of multiple players.
Despite an earlier report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that said tackle Mekhi Becton would be out for 1-2 weeks, Saleh did not rule him out for this week.
“(Mekhi) Becton, I know what the report said earlier. He’s trying to go for Friday, so he’s working through it, he’s taped up, and he’ll be a part of practice today despite those reports.”
In addition to Becton, Saleh said that Billy Turner and Xavier Newman are “trending in the right direction” to be available against the Miami Dolphins.
The head coach also spoke about Duane Brown’s injury, saying the team will “have a really good idea on Wednesday” about his future status.
“Yeah, no, practice is different than a game, obviously. He’s got to get the mental connection; he’s still not fully comfortable, obviously, and we just have to find the best way to simulate a game for him,” said Saleh.
“I know we have full-speed practices, but those aren’t even close to what it’s like in a game, so we’re just trying to do our best to put him through a very game-like situation for him, and we’ll give it another run and see where he is.”
Outside of the offensive line, Saleh said that cornerback Michael Carter II will practice on Wednesday and that he is “not sure” about his status for Friday.
Becton avoiding a long-term injury is a major positive while getting Turner and Newman back should help the offensive line depth. However, the Jets are in desperate need of victories. If the team is missing Becton, their already injury-riddled unit will take a major hit and must utilize another new combination of players.
It will take a significant reversal of fortunes for the Jets on offense to have a chance against the Dolphins. Without Becton, a steep challenge only gets more difficult for a team trying to save its season from meeting an early end.
