Jets in desperate search for solutions after losing Jermaine Johnson for the season | Sports

NASHVILLE — It was an emotional scene on the Nissan Stadium discipline on Sunday when Jermaine Johnson went down, because it typically is when a participant suffers a wretched non-contact damage. Monday, Johnson confirmed it was a torn Achilles, ending his season. It’s an unlucky loss at a place the place the Jets already lacked depth, nevertheless it’s about greater than that, as a result of Johnson has meant extra to the Jets and their tradition.

Think about final week, when Johnson performed poorly in opposition to the 49ers, struggling to get off blocks and make an impression. In the days after, Johnson stood in entrance of his teammates and apologized.

Or take into consideration Johnson as a rookie, a first-round choose who was pressured to largely sit and watch as his draft classmates — specifically Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson — received awards and acclaim. Privately, he seethed. He was additionally decided to show that he shouldn’t be forgotten. That offseason, he remodeled himself bodily, confirmed up for the summer season and dominated in coaching camp. It wasn’t a fluke; he was an enormous cause why the Jets protection was pretty much as good because it was final season, changing into a pressure in the working recreation and impactful as a move rusher. Johnson had seven sacks and made the Pro Bowl. His success story gave the Jets hope that he might be an inspiration for defensive finish Will McDonald, a first-round choose who additionally barely performed as a rookie final season.

This offseason, in solely his third season, Johnson grew to become a pacesetter. He typically spoke of the excessive commonplace he had for himself, and for the Jets protection: “Just really trying to be an apex predator,” he stated.

Solomon Thomas shares an emotional second with Jermaine Johnson as Johnson is carted off the discipline. pic.twitter.com/kxpUKAK7Ld

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 15, 2024

He stated that when he went down on Sunday it felt like he had tripped over somebody — he didn’t, by no means an excellent signal. Even worse: trainers rapidly known as for a cart as Johnson was moved to tears, draping a towel over his head to cover his face. Head coach Robert Saleh, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich and defensive position coach Aaron Whitecotton seemed shattered. His teammates hugged him, in the second and later in the locker room. The Jets misplaced a vital piece of their protection for what his talents deliver to the defensive position, and of their workforce for what his management brings.

“On the field it was just like, there ain’t no damn way,” Johnson stated after the recreation. His maturity shined: Players not often communicate to the media in the quick aftermath of struggling a season-ending damage. But Johnson was smiling, in good spirits. “I’m hoping for the best.”

Defensive sort out Solomon Thomas stated it felt like the Jets have been losing a heartbeat of their workforce.

“Jermaine doesn’t play like every other player in the league,” Thomas stated. “He plays really hard every down, he runs to the ball, he pours out for his teammates, he loves his teammates … My heart breaks for him, for this team, because of what we’re losing.”

Running again Breece Hall stated he “almost started crying” when individuals have been speaking about it after the recreation. McDonald known as it “heartbreaking.” Aaron Rodgers stated his “heart dropped a little bit” and that “it’s going to be a big loss for us.”

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That final half is unavoidable: The Jets let Bryce Huff depart in free company this offseason and traded away John Franklin-Myers to create the cap area they wanted after buying Haason Reddick in a commerce. And then Reddick, since his introductory press convention in April, hasn’t been seen once more. Two weeks into the season there’s no signal that he'll arrive anytime quickly, if in any respect. The Jets have been insistent that they received’t negotiate a brand new contract with Reddick till he reveals up, and Reddick insists he received’t present up and not using a new contract. The Jets misplaced all their leverage when Johnson went down, and it is perhaps time for common supervisor Joe Douglas to choose up the telephone and make it work.

“Joe and I speak all the time,” Saleh stated on Monday. “Joe knows exactly what we need and Joe knows exactly what’s on all of our minds, and he’s very good at asking questions and understanding what we’re feeling — whatever angst, if any, at any position. But at the end of the day there’s a business part of it, and that’s where we coach football and they do the business stuff.”

Short of Reddick returning, the defensive finish room, as soon as this workforce’s greatest energy, now seems like the weakest spot on the roster. It’s encouraging that McDonald had his finest recreation as a professional on Sunday: 4 pressures and three sacks, the latter tying his complete from all of final season. Saleh was particularly inspired by McDonald’s final sack in specific, on third down with 23 seconds left in the recreation, the Titans driving for a possible tying rating.

“If he can harness whatever he felt on that last sack it’s going to lead to a lot more for him,” Saleh stated.

But it was one recreation, in opposition to a younger Titans offensive line, and McDonald has by no means been a full-time starter. There are nonetheless questions on his potential to contribute in the working recreation. If Reddick doesn’t come again, McDonald turns into a starter reverse Micheal Clemons, who was solely a starter in the first place due to Reddick’s absence and doesn’t add a lot as a move rusher. The depth is regarding too. There’s journeyman Takk McKinley (one stress in 20 pass-rushing snaps this season) and two undrafted rookies, Braiden McGregor (one stress in 11 move rush snaps) and Eric Watts (a wholesome scratch in each video games). There’s additionally Jalyn Holmes from the observe squad (one stress in 9 move rush snaps).

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Think again to 2022 when the Jets have been so loaded at defensive finish — Carl Lawson, Franklin-Myers, Huff, Johnson, Clemons — that they traded away veteran Jacob Martin as a result of there was no taking part in time accessible.

If a take care of Reddick isn’t inside attain, the Jets in all probability ought to discover including a veteran from elsewhere. Some notable free brokers nonetheless accessible embody Justin Houston (age 35), Yannick Ngakoue (29), Randy Gregory (31) and Shaq Lawson (30), a former Jet. Lawson is on the Cowboys’ observe squad.

The Jets must determine one thing out, particularly since the defensive linemen profitable their matchups is an important piece of Saleh and Ulbrich’s protection. They don’t typically blitz, as an alternative counting on the defensive linemen profitable upfront, permitting Ulbrich to get a bit of extra inventive on the backend.

“I’ll say it again, we’ve got the guys in our room, guys that we love and have been working with,” Saleh stated. “And those are the guys we’re going to continue to be working with until everybody figures it out.”

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While the Jets strive to determine the place to go from right here, Johnson can be rehabbing in the background. He plans to be round the workforce; that’s sensible, as a result of if he walks via the locker room he’ll discover a handful of teammates who know precisely what he’s going via.

Rather less than two years in the past Hall was on the verge of breaking out in opposition to the Denver Broncos when he tore his ACL, ending his season. A yr later, wholesome, he stood in the identical locker room and pointed at the room the place he came upon his season ended.

“I would never wish that on anybody,” Hall stated. “But I told him this is going to be the hardest time of your life. You’re going to figure out — you think you’re cut like that now, going through this you’re really going to find out how you’re built.”

In 2020, Thomas was with the 49ers when he tore his ACL on the MetLife turf in Week 2, ending his season.

“Mentally, physically, emotionally not being around your teammates, going through rehab, not playing the game you work all year round for to play 17 weeks — my heart breaks for Jermaine,” Thomas stated. “We’re going to have his back but Jermaine is going to come back a monster. He’s going to be an All-Pro when he comes back, we already know that.”

Then, after all, there’s Rodgers. That story, of Rodgers tearing his Achilles 4 performs into his first season with the Jets, has been instructed and instructed once more. All Rodgers might take into consideration when Johnson went down, and the aftermath: Man, he’s dealing with this nicely.

“I knew he was hurt and carted off, so I was worried about him,” Rodgers stated. “Good news is, he’s a very young player that is going to have a very long career. There’s a lot of great people out there to take care of him … We briefly talked, I just told him I love him and told him I was sorry. He is handling it a lot better than I did so far.”

When Johnson bought into the locker room after struggling the damage, he FaceTimed his mom. She instructed him to go look in the mirror, to take a look at his chest. There, Johnson has a tattoo: Have religion.

Johnson stated he cried on the discipline, and once more in the locker room. He will in all probability cry some extra Monday night time.

“After that — 24-hour, 48-hour rule with me and then we’ll get back to work,” he stated. “I know what I gotta do.”

(Photo: Steve Roberts / Imagn Images)