D.J. Reed ruled out for Jets on Sunday vs. Denver Broncos
New York Jets cornerback DJ Reed Credit: Noah K. Murray
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The Jets’ secondary will have to go deep down its depth chart against the Broncos on Sunday. Coach Robert Saleh announced Friday that cornerback D.J. Reed will not be able to clear concussion protocol before kickoff — this, two days after cornerback Brandin Echols was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
The Jets have a few viable options: (1) move nickel back Michael Carter II outside, though he’s had only 12 professional defensive snaps there, or (2) slot in former fifth-round pick Bryce Hall, who lost his starting role in 2022.
Additionally, they should get a boost from the return of safety Tony Adams, who was a full participant in practice Friday and will be available Sunday after suffering a hamstring injury that kept him out of action for the past two weeks (Adams had 10 tackles in his first two games).
Saleh declined to reveal his cornerback plan, praising Hall and saying he has no problem with moving Carter.
“He’s been great,” Saleh said of Hall, who was uneven in two years as a starter but found ways to contribute once Reed and Sauce Gardner came on the scene, relegating him to the bench. Before that, he started 24 games and had 99 solo tackles and 16 assists.
“He went from a guy you wouldn’t want to play on special teams, for example, to ‘you know what, I am a backup, I am going to attack the heck out of special teams,’ and he has become a very good special teams player,” Saleh said. “He is a professional. He approaches it day in and day out the way he needs to. I just love his mindset. Guys like him, they look at the role that they are in and they look at ways to attack and find ways to get better, and he has done that.”
Replacing Reed, though, is no small challenge: He came into the year as the 21st-ranked cornerback in the league, according to Pro Football Focus, with a 77.5 PFF coverage grade.
“D.J. is a special football player and he alleviates some of the pressure of trying to be perfect in regard to matchup, because you feel comfortable about all your matchups when those two are on the field at the same time — him and Sauce,” Saleh said. “Any time you have a player of his caliber [not] out there, you are kind of put behind the eight ball. But like I said, we will be fine.”
The loss also comes at a pivotal time for the Jets, who had a strong, if losing, effort against Kansas City.
“We got some glimpses of where we want to be at,” Garrett Wilson said of the Jets’ 23-20 loss. “We’ve got to find a way to be more consistent and we’re always on the chase of being better, but to take that step — but it was the right step — now we’ve got to figure out how to finish games, how to start fast and bring it all together.”
Rodgers return realistic. Aaron Rodgers returned to “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday to reiterate his belief that he’ll be back this season. Saleh believes that’s reasonable, adding: “He’s got that mindset where if someone tells him he’s not capable or something is impossible, he’s like, you’ll see. So no, I don’t put it past him.”
Practice report. OT Billy Turner (questionable, toe) did not practice, but Saleh believes he’ll play. LB Sam Eguavoen (ankle) and S Jarrick Bernard-Converse (foot) were limited and listed as questionable. T Carter Warren practiced fully but is listed as questionable.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
