Jets' Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed will play vs. Giants

New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) signals a safety during first half of the Kansas City Chiefs at the New York Jets on October 1, 2023. Credit: Lee S. Weissman/Lee S. Weissman
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Jets cornerbacks Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed cleared concussion protocol and will start against the Giants on Sunday, coach Robert Saleh said on Friday.
Reed has missed two games and Gardner sat out one. The Jets won both.
Gardner did not address the media on Friday. Reed did, and said he suffered the first concussion of his football-playing life in the first quarter of the Oct. 1 game against Kansas City. He didn’t tell anyone, kept playing and finished the game.
“I didn’t come out. I didn’t say anything,” Reed said. “I knew something wasn’t right. I was really dizzy. Just didn’t feel right. But just the selfish part of me just wanted to play. It was Sunday Night Football.”
Reed said he regrets that decision.
“Yes, for sure,” he said. “Going back and looking at it, any time you get a concussion, you’ve got to pull yourself out. Talking to the doctors, that could have been bad if I got hit in the head again. Something terrible could have possibly happened. Definitely a lesson learned.”
Reed said his symptoms — dizziness, nausea, sensitivity to light — didn’t subside until last week, when the Jets had a bye week.
“Definitely scary as far as the symptoms and stuff and lingering for a little bit,” he said. “I feel better . . . I mean, just having a concussion is scary. Like you hear about CTE [chronic traumatic encephalopathy] and all this stuff, especially when you get a concussion and then you get another concussion. You’ve got to just be careful with concussions because it’s not something you can just try to go out there and play with. If you have a concussion, you sit out and let your brain heal. So that’s a learned lesson that I went through and I learned.”
Reed said the concussion occurred when he made “a normal sideline tackle [on Kansas City receiver Skyy Moore]. At the last minute, he lowered his head. I was just making like a normal tackle and we went helmet to helmet.”
Reed, a six-year pro, watched the Jets beat the Broncos and Eagles. Bryce Hall filled in like an All-Pro with a fumble return for a touchdown to seal the win against Denver and a late interception against Philadelphia that allowed the Jets to get the upset and improve to 3-3.
“I actually got a new perspective just watching the team without me,” Reed said. “I was very proud of them. Especially the Eagles game, but even the Denver game. As a defense, we’ve been playing phenomenal. There was no drop-off.”
Notes & quotes: WR Garrett Wilson said he doesn’t consider Jets-Giants a true rivalry because the teams are not in the same division. “The reality is we root for them,” he said. “Except when they’re playing us . . . It’s not a rivalry. It’s for our fans because we want to give them bragging rights, but I wouldn’t say it’s a rivalry.” . . . Saleh said he’s “not surprised” that running back Dalvin Cook expressed frustration Thursday about his limited role. “He’s a competitor,” Saleh said. “I’m actually happy that he’s a little frustrated because it means he’s all in. He wants to be a part of it. He wants to get reps. He wants to play. He’s not here to just collect the paycheck. So yeah, if he wasn’t frustrated, then I’d think something was wrong.” . . . OL Joe Tippman (quadriceps) is out for Sunday. WR Irv Charles (shoulder) is doubtful. DB Michael Carter II (hamstring), WR Randall Cobb (shoulder) and DL Will McDonald (back) are questionable.