Jets rookie RB La'Mical Perine carted off with left ankle injury

Jets rookie running back La’Mical Perine had to be carted off the MetLife Stadium field and into the locker room after suffering a left ankle injury on Sunday.

Adam Gase said Perine would undergo an MRI. The Jets are hoping it’s only a sprain and there’s nothing structurally wrong with Perine’s ankle.

Perine caught a screen pass on the right sideline and fell awkwardly when he was brought down during the scrimmage. Perine was on the turf for a while and tended to by the trainers.

He limped off and sat on the sideline, and left shortly after general manager Joe Douglas had come over and talked to him.

Perine has been having a good camp, impressing the coaches with his quickness and ability to hit holes. He was slated as the No. 3 back behind Le’Veon Bell and Frank Gore. Now they have a lack of running back depth. The Jets acquired Kalen Ballage from Miami for a conditional seven-round pick. But that trade was voided Sunday because Ballage failed his physical. Running back Josh Adams remains out with a hamstring injury.

Maye OK

Safety Marcus Maye was pulled out of the practice because of tightness in his right calf. Maye is a big part of the defense, and Gase wasn’t taking any chances of letting him return Sunday.

“It was my decision to pull him out,” Gase said. “He wanted to keep practicing. But there was no way we were going to allow him to continue with him doing anything at that point.”

McLendon emotional

Nose tackle and team leader Steve McLendon said the past few days have been “very, very, very emotional” for him after the Jacob Blake shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and the conversations the Jets had about doing something to improve social equality. Blake, a Black man, was shot by police. 

“II’m going to die a Black man," McLendon said. "But I don’t want to die from brutality coming from someone that has some type of hatred in their heart.”

Two-minute drill

Receiver Jeff Smith, who hurt his shoulder in practice Saturday, will miss “a couple weeks,” Gase said. Smith had been working with the first team due to all the wideout injuries … Right guard Greg Van Roten (oblique) did not participate on Sunday … Kicker Sam Ficken had a good day in his competition for the job. Ficken was 4-for-4 on field goals, including a 52-yarder. Brett Maher was 2-for-4, missing field goals from 48 and 52 yards . . . The Jets claimed WR DJ Montgomery off of waivers from the Browns. Montogomery, out of Austin Peay, spent last year on IR in Cleveland.