After starting the season 0-1, the New York Jets have an uphill climb as the team may be without multiple key players against the Cleveland Browns in Week 2.
Yes, to put it simply, you’re probably not having a good day if you’re a fan of the New York Jets. According to multiple reports, team head coach Adam Gase said Sam Darnold will be out for the Week 2 game against the Cleveland Browns, and he has indicated that Darnold may miss a few additional games as well, which is due to mono.
As if the second-year quarterback’s potential elongated absence wasn’t enough, the team may also be without rookie first-round pick Quinnen Williams, star running back Le’Veon Bell, and the team’s most important defensive player C.J. Mosley.
Of course, tight end Chris Herndon is already out serving suspension, and wide receiver Quincy Enunwa has landed on the IR due to another unfortunate neck injury.
Bell and Mosley were the team’s two most expensive free agents this past offseason. Enunwa was in the first year of a four-year, $36 million contract, while Darnold and Williams account for just over $15.6 million dollars in cap.
Altogether, between those five players, the Jets will potentially sit just under $55 million on Monday. Yes, it is a bad day to be a fan of Gang Green.
This news comes as a surprise, especially this late into the week. After squandering the season opener, the Jets looked to make a statement in Week 2. Now, there seems to be very slim chances of that happening if this much talent is in fact out on Monday night.
Darnold’s mono presents the largest issue and hardest news of the bunch. There was a lot of optimism that he would take a step forward in year two under Gase. But now he will be sidelined for a few weeks, and the Jets’ season could very much be under wraps by then.
With Bell and Mosley, you never want to see your two biggest free agent signings have to be held back with injury. That is even more the case when one is your biggest weapon on offense, and the other is the clue that keeps everything together on defense.
Now, it will be up to Trevor Siemian to jump start an offense, potentially without Bell and already without Enunwa, that only accounted for one touchdown and 223 total yards in Week 1. On defense, we saw things for the Jets break down when Mosley left the game.
What once was a season full of high expectations and optimism has become just another ‘typical season’ for the Jets. You can’t make this stuff up.