The New York Jets are dealing with a plethora of injuries just four weeks into the 2026 season.

However, there is also some good news heading into the team’s Week 4 clash with the Chicago Bears. Two key players will return from multi-week absences: safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and kick returner Kene Nwangwu.

It goes without saying that the Jets will benefit from the return of Fitzpatrick’ a three-time All-Pro safety. Nwangwu, though, could be just as important an addition to the lineup.

Kene Nwangwu comes back at a much-needed time

After a historic 2025 season, the Jets’ special teams unit is off to a rough start in 2026, ranking 28th in DVOA through three weeks.

Part of the decline falls on a kick return unit that has made zero impact so far. The Jets’ longest kick return in September went for 28 yards. It’s a far cry from the unit that led the NFL with a 29.9-yard return average in 2025.

A big reason why the kick return unit has looked so stagnant is that we have yet to see Nwangwu on the field. In 2025, he averaged 33.6 yards across 18 kick returns, including a touchdown. Late in the season, opponents started kicking touchbacks on the majority of kickoffs to avoid giving him or Isaiah Williams a chance to touch the ball, gifting New York starts at the 35-yard line.

Nwangwu wasn’t just electric in 2025; he is one of the greatest kick returners in NFL history. His career average of 29.7 yards per kick return ranks second in league history to only Hall-of-Famer Gale Sayers, who played his last NFL season in the same stadium where Nwangwu will make his return on Sunday.

In addition, Nwangwu has scored five career kick return touchdowns on just 89 attempts. That’s an average of 17.8 attempts per touchdown, the second-best mark in NFL history (min. 50 returns), trailing only Travis Williams.

Injuries have been the only nemesis for Nwangwu, who has played just 23 games since 2023. When he’s on the field, though, he is one of the most dangerous special teams players that the game has ever seen.

With starters out at running back (Breece Hall), wide receiver (Adonai Mitchell), tight end (Mason Taylor), and left guard (Dylan Parham), the Jets’ offense will be in a precarious position on Sunday. They will need all the extra juice they can get from the return units, and Nwangwu’s return might be just what New York needed to bring back last year’s special teams magic.