New York Jets edge rusher Jermaine Johnson provided the team with even better news than their demolition of the Green Bay Packers in Saturday’s preseason opener.
The former first-round edge rusher out of Florida State was activated off the PUP list over the weekend and can start fully practicing with the organization. Johnson tore his Achilles in Week 2 of the 2024 regular season and has been sidelined since then.
Under a new coaching staff, the 26-year-old believes he is ready to get back to playing at a high level.
“I feel ready to go,” Johnson said on Tuesday. “I trust them. Like I like to say, they’re backing the Ferrari off the truck a little cautiously right now, so I understand it. But I’m ready to go.”
Johnson sat out of Tuesday’s joint practice against the Giants, and the Jets will continue easing him back into action.
Although Johnson is confident that he’s ready to go, it might be wise to temper expectations for the fourth-year edge rusher.
Johnson’s recovery timeline
An Achilles tear is difficult to come back from. It can take up to two years for an athlete to return to peak form.
The first year is often about getting the athlete to regain trust in his body and build mental confidence that he can get back on the field without hurting himself again. The second year is when the athlete can be back at 100%.
There are always outliers to these kinds of recoveries. Johnson could be one of them, but it will be a challenge.
Playing a position that requires flexibility of movement, it’s hard to see Johnson being ready to practice right away for the Jets. It’s even harder to see him make an immediate impact once the regular season begins.
“He’s going through the protocol of getting himself ready,” Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said of Johnson’s recovery during camp. “Everyone has their own protocol — he understands and he’s working his ass off to get back, but we want to make sure we have him for the long haul.”
New York will not rush the young edge rusher onto the field. They shouldn’t expect a 10-sack season, either.
Johnson has to regain confidence in both his Achilles and his lower body. At a position that requires bend and explosiveness, Johnson will have to cut in several different directions throughout a game. That could lead to some moments where he is more focused on staying upright and healthy over anything else.
That’s okay, though. The more he plays, the more confident he will become. And while his numbers will probably not be where they were before the 2024 season (he was coming off a Pro Bowl season in 2023), there’s a good chance that any playing time he receives early in the year will prepare him for a bigger second half in 2025.
Johnson’s recovery process won’t be easy, even if he begins practicing as early as this week. But the good news is that he seems right on schedule to make an impact on the Jets this season, however big or small.