Ahead of their Sunday showdown with the Jaguars, the interim head coach of the New York Jets gave the final injury updates of the week.
According to Jeff Ulbrich, standout returner Kene Nwangwu will be placed on injured reserve with a hand injury, effectively ending his season.
“He broke his hand on one of the returns, unfortunately. He’s a guy that brought such value as a returner. To put him out there with a broken hand, we just thought it’d be counterproductive for him and us as a team,” said Ulbrich.
“What a bright light he was. What an amazing future he has in this league. He’s already been a really good player for quite a while, so it’s unfortunate, but he’ll be back.”
Regarding the defensive players, Ulbrich said the team is hopeful that cornerback D.J. Reed will be able to play with his groin injury. However, Reed has now been listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game against Jacksonville, while fellow corner Brandin Echols has been ruled out.
Ulbrich also spoke about what cornerback Michael Carter II has dealt with this season, specifically with his back injury.
“The back has kind of flared up on and off this entire season. It’s been so frustrating for him because, as we all know, he’s just this amazing teammate. He feels such an obligation to the Jets organization, especially after they rewarded him with a contract that he was absolutely deserved. So it has been a frustrating year for him in that way, frustrating for all of us because he is one of our better players, especially in the back end there, and not having him out there as much as we’ve had him in the past has been tough at times.”
The news was more positive on the offensive side of the ball. According to Ulbrich, running back Breece Hall is in a much better place than previously thought.
“He looks good right now, so it’s promising…We’re hopeful, and we’ll see how it goes.”
Hall had a full practice on Friday and is officially listed as questionable.
The head coach also added that guard Alijah Vera-Tucker practiced today and looks better for the game as well.
“He was a guy that early in the week, we might have said that was doubtful, but a little bit more promising now after what we saw out there today.”
Vera-Tucker was listed as a limited participant in Friday’s practice and is officially questionable.
There is still some uncertainty regarding the actives and inactives for Sunday’s game. However, it looks like New York could be severely shorthanded in the secondary. Outside of Sauce Gardner, the Jets will need rookie Qwan’tez Stiggers to step up in what could be an audition for a 2025 starting role.
On offense, the running back room will be a major question. With Breece banged up, the offense will have to figure out how to split snaps and touches between him, Allen, and Davis. The offensive line may also have to deal with some rotating parts, depending on whether they have Vera-Tucker or Morgan Moses (who is questionable with a wrist injury after a limited practice on Friday).
Sunday’s game will be interesting for a variety of reasons. If the Jets have a healthy Hall back in the fold, it will be a big factor in determining the outcome.
