Jets head coach Aaron Glenn ruled quarterback Justin Fields out of Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers earlier this week and he ruled several other players out on Friday.
Glenn told reporters that edge rusher Jermaine Johnson will not play due to an ankle injury. Johnson tore his Achilles in Week 2 on the 2024 season and returned to play in the first two games of this season.
Will McDonald, Micheal Clemons, Tyler Baron, and Braiden McGregor will be available on the edge.
Wide receiver Josh Reynolds will miss his second straight game with a hamstring injury. Defensive tackle Jay Tufele (illness) and kick returner Kene Nwangwu (hamstring) are also going to be out this weekend.
The Jets gave up 224 rushing yards to the Bills — the most they have allowed in a game since 2021 — and 403 total yards. The Bills won easily, 30-10.
Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams said their defensive performance was an aberration.
“We all made a pact as a defense, player to player: That will never happen again,” Williams said Thursday, via Rich Cimini of ESPN.
The Jets were a top-four defense in yards allowed each of the past three seasons. Yet, the Bills opened Sunday’s game with four consecutive scores, taking a 20-0 lead as James Cook ran over them.
Cook finished with 132 yards and two touchdowns.
“We all took constructive criticism from each other, [and] owned up to what we need to do right and get better,” Williams said.
The Jets, who returned eight starters on defense, have allowed 64 points in two games.
“The DNA has to come to life,” Williams said. “The standard has to come to life that coach AG [Aaron Glenn] has been preaching.”
He reiterated that last week’s performance “won’t ever happen again.”
Buccaneers right tackle Luke Goedeke tried to play through his foot injury Monday night. He made it through only 12 plays before aggravating the injury.
Goedeke’s injury is significant enough that the Bucs placed Goedeke on injured reserve, the team announced Thursday.
Goedeke, 26, will miss at least the next four games before returning.
A second-round pick in 2022, he signed a four-year, $90 million contract extension before the start of this season.
Charlie Heck replaced Goedeke at right tackle in both Week 1 and Week 2 and will start while Goedeke is out.
The Bucs will be without right guard Cody Mauch (knee) for the rest of the season, and the team also placed him on injured reserve Thursday.
Left tackle Tristan Wirfs (knee) has yet to play this season.
The Bucs replaced Goedeke and on the roster by signing offensive lineman Luke Haggard off the practice squad and offensive lineman Dan Feeney off the Bills’ practice squad. Haggard, who has never played a regular-season game, could start at right guard for Mauch.
After Haggard’s promotion, the Bucs re-signed guard Sua Opeta to their practice squad.
The Chargers will be without Khalil Mack for at least the next four games, so they are reportedly moving to add some depth to the edges of their defense.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that they are signing Rashad Weaver to their practice squad after working him out this week. Mack is going on injured reserve after injuring his elbow in Monday night’s win over the Raiders.
Weaver signed with the Jets in the offseason and was placed on injured reserve before being released in August. He played in three games for the Texans last season and 33 games for the Titans over the previous three years.
Weaver has 49 tackles, 5.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery for his career.
A number of teams around the league will be starting backup quarterbacks this week, but Jets head coach Aaron Glenn thinks his club is better situated than the others.
Glenn ruled Justin Fields out for Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers because of a concussion and that puts Tyrod Taylor in position to make the start. It’s the first time that Taylor will be starting a game since he was with the Giants in 2023, but Glenn noted his experience while explaining why he wouldn’t want anyone else in that role.
“I have competed against him a number of times,” Glenn said, via a press conference transcript from the team. “There’s an element within him that we also have in Justin that I like a lot. And the fact that he’s been in this league for a long time, there’s no coverage, there’s no pressure that he hasn’t seen. So, that’s why I have confidence in him, and he’s a very studious person, a good athlete, again, been around this league for a long time. There’s no better player that you would want as your backup quarterback than him at this point in time.”
Going on the road to face a 2-0 Bucs team would be a challenge for the 0-2 Jets under any circumstances. Changing quarterbacks makes it more difficult, but Glenn and the rest of the Jets will be hoping that Taylor’s veteran acumen can help them weather the storm.
