The New York Jets’ defense continues to lose reinforcements.
According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, defensive end Braiden McGregor tore his pec in the team’s Week 4 loss to the Chicago Bears and will be out for the season.
McGregor, 25, was the fifth defensive end in New York’s edge rotation, behind David Bailey, Joseph Ossai, Kingsley Enagbare, and Will McDonald. He had played in all four games to begin the season, logging 49 defensive snaps, an 18% portion. McGregor also played 45% of the special teams snaps.
The 6-foot-6, 267-pound McGregor is not known for his pass rushing, but he offered a sturdy edge-setting presence against the run. Without McGregor, the Jets are down to Ossai and Enagbare as their only proven run defenders at the EDGE position. Ossai, though, has struggled since returning from a foot injury.
Enagbare missed the Jets’ Week 4 loss to Chicago with a knee injury. Due to his absence, combined with McGregor’s early exit, the Jets gave season-high snap percentages to all three of Bailey (78%), McDonald (71%), and Ossai (61%).
Bailey and McDonald are not known for their run defense, while Ossai has looked sluggish in his first two games back from an injury. As a result, the Jets were stomped on the ground, yielding 232 rushing yards in the defeat.
New York’s defense continues to become more and more depleted, and they are particularly hurting when it comes to power and sturdiness against the run (defensive tackle David Onyemata is also sidelined), which was evident in their latest loss.
