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A heaping helping of Thursday Jets Whispers . . .
Blake Cashman was running around the practice field like a player who should be available this week. He is coming off a hamstring injury.
But the concern with making him active this week, and we have seen this happen many times over the years, is that the player re-injures himself early in the game, and then you are short at man at the position.
And we all now that hamstrings have a proclivity to pull again when a player comes back, and Cashman has had a few soft tissue injuries over the last few years . . .
What a nightmare for the Atlanta Falcons.
It came out today that wide receiver Calvin Ridley won’t be making the trip to London due to personal reasons. There other starting receiver, Russell Gage, already has a serious ankle injury, and has been ruled out. So for the second week in a row, the Jets will face a team without both starting receivers. There is no doubt the absence of Julio Jones and A.J. Brown hurt the Titans significantly in their loss to the Jets. Decent chance they win that game with Jones and Brown against the Jets’ young corners, but their replacements were underwhelming and had issues getting open.
So the Jets get a huge break two weeks a row, and as we mentioned yesterday, the Falcons nickel back Isaiah Oliver is out with a knee injury, and his likely replacement, Avery Williams, was limited in practice on Thursday with a hamstring, so this will benefit the Jets’ passing attack . . .
The Jets got safety Ashtyn Davis back last week from a long stint on the injury list following a serious foot injury suffered late in the 2020 season. He had kind of quiet return manning a deep safety spot. But in practice today, he had a compression sleeve on this right leg.
It could be nothing. Other guys wear those in practice, but it is illustrative of the challenge for Davis, who is tough as boot leather, but a very lean safety at 6-1, 198, so it could always been a battle for him on the injury front. He’s a somewhat skinny guy playing a very, very physical position. Once again, this has nothing to do with toughness. There is shortage of that with this player, it’s just a matter of a lithe build . . .
Speaking of safety, what a freaking brutal position. Both Jets starting safeties entering the season are out – LaMarcus Joyner (arm) for the season, and Marcus Maye (ankle) for about month. The two guys who filled in last week, are both on the injury report this week – Adrian Colbert hasn’t practiced this week due to a concussion and Jarrad Wilson has a rib injury, but will likely play in London with it.
Zane Lewis, a safety who really caught their eyes in training camp, is on injured reserve.
So it will likely be Sharrod Neasman, Wilson and Davis rotating at safety, and Neasman returned to he lineup last week after spending September on IR with a hamstring injury.
What a crazy position.
Huge collisions with much bigger men leading to injuries, along with a ton of running leading to soft tissue injuries. It’s hard to stay healthy back there.
And unfortunately it’s a reason why you probably shouldn’t break the bank at the position. Too risky. Most actuaries would probably agree.
October 7, 2021
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