Jets Receive Massive News as Season Nears

The boys are back in town.

New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn made a seismic injury announcement during his media availability on Tuesday, August 19.

“A good day injury-wise for the Jets: Sauce Gardner, Jermaine Johnson, and Quinnen Williams returned to practice,” ESPN’s Rich Cimini posted on social media.

There was a scare during practice when Gardner “came up limping” and “was having his right calf worked on by a trainer on the sideline,” according to Dennis Waszak Jr of the Associated Press.

However, Coach Glenn clarified the injury, saying Gardner got kicked in the leg, “He’s fine.” Gardner had been previously dealing with calf soreness, Cimini added.

A good day injury-wise for the #Jets: Sauce Gardner, Jermaine Johnson and Quinnen Williams returned to practice. Gardner, who had been dealing with calf soreness, got kicked in the leg. Glenn: “He’s fine.”

— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) August 19, 2025

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Much Needed Reinforcements on the Defensive Side of the Ball

Williams hurt his calf early in training camp. Johnson is coming off a torn Achilles tendon from Week 2 of the 2024 season.

The former Florida State product hadn’t practiced since last season, and Williams had been out of action for weeks.

For them to return was a massive relief.

“Whoa,” Glenn responded when asked about all of the defensive players who returned to practice. “That’s all I can say is whoa. I mean, 11 [Johnson] is out there, and he’s rushing the passer, and he runs right by me, and there is just like wind [makes wind sound], just goes by me. Then you see 95 [Williams]… it felt good. I would just say that it felt really good.”

A Lot of Overreactions to How Jets Performed in Preseason

In preseason Week 2, the Jets got whomped by the New York Giants by a score of 31-12.

Specifically, the Jets’ defense came under harsh criticism for how they performed, or rather, how well the Giants’ slew of quarterbacks executed.

The four Big Blue passers finished with 398 passing yards, a passing touchdown, a 92.8 quarterback rating, and they completed 71% of their passes.

While you never want to perform like that on defense, the Jets were down several key starters. The preseason results don’t matter; what matters is staying healthy and the development of players.

Outside of a special teams injury, Kris Boyd was lost for the season. The Jets have been fortunate in the injury department.

Jets QB Justin Fields ‘Unlikely’ to Play vs Eagles

Head coach Aaron Glenn announced that some of his starters won’t play against Philadelphia, instead using the opportunity to evaluate the young talent.

“The Jets face the Eagles on Friday night in the final preseason game. Glenn wouldn’t say whether [Justin] Fields will play, though it appears unlikely. A ‘good amount’ of starters will get the night off, according to Glenn,” via ESPN’s Rich Cimini.

Which means the next time we see the bulk of the Jets starters will be in the Week 1 contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, September 7.

Fields got a drive against the Green Bay Packers in the preseason opener, and he received two drives against the Giants.