Less than two weeks ago, the New York Jets kicked off training camp. Since then, there has been no shortage of storylines, takeaways, and overreactions.

Regardless of Geno Smith’s practice stats or anything that has taken place on the field, injuries have popped up far too often.

Those injuries have occurred not just to players at the end of the roster, but also to key members of the squad’s rookie class.

Since the beginning of training camp, three of the Jets’ four top-50 picks from April’s NFL draft have sustained injuries on the practice field: David Bailey, Kenyon Sadiq, and D’Angelo Ponds.

That disappointment overshadows most of the strong practices thus far.

Rookie injuries take center stage

During the Jets’ first training camp practice, second-round cornerback D’Angelo Ponds sustained a calf strain and has yet to return to the practice field.

About a week later, Kenyon Sadiq suffered a setback from a hernia procedure that took place in May. He is expected to miss the entire preseason, although the Jets remain confident that he will be ready for Week 1 of the regular season.

The last straw came during Saturday’s practice, when David Bailey exited the field early before head coach Aaron Glenn announced that the No. 2 overall pick injured his ankle, although the head coach insists that Bailey will be fine.

Seventh-round rookie defensive back VJ Payne also suffered a bone bruise, which will leave him out for 3-4 weeks.

This is the exact series of events teams dread seeing during training camp. These aren’t season-ending-level injuries, but it’s certainly not something you want to see, especially when considering the types of injuries.

Calf issues, which Ponds is dealing with, don’t typically keep players off the field for long, but they sometimes nag and hinder a player’s ability when they return to the field.

With Sadiq, there’s even more reason for concern. In the spring, Glenn addressed the hernia issue as something the tight end had dealt with since college, and holding him out was simply the team being cautious while taking an extra step with the procedure.

Seeing him suffer another setback raises questions regarding the severity of the hernia. Furthermore, even if he is ready for Week 1 health-wise, will he be up to full speed and ready to take on a meaningful role like the Jets seemingly expect him to do?

Dr. Daniel Kaplan, a sports orthopedic surgeon at NYU Langone Health, told Jets X-Factor, “the biggest obstacle [for Sadiq] most likely has to do with his fitness readiness to compete at the pro level.”

Not only does he have a lot of terminology to learn as he adapts to a new offensive scheme, but Sadiq already entered the league as a raw player.

Does Sadiq have a tantalizing ceiling? Absolutely, but he is still a fairly raw prospect. The injury could make his adjustment to the NFL even slower than some expected.

For a rookie class the Jets are counting on, the injuries are piling up far too quickly.