FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — New York Jets safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and rookie wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. are not practicing Wednesday because of injuries and coach Aaron Glenn said they are “week to week.”
Fitzpatrick injured his groin early in the Jets' season-opening 23-10 win at Tennessee
last Sunday. Cooper, a first-round draft pick, also left with an ankle injury after his 30-yard catch-and-run on New York's opening touchdown drive.When asked
if Fitzpatrick and Cooper are candidates for the injured reserve list, which would sideline them a minimum of four weeks, Glenn said: “Not as of now.”
Glenn added that edge rusher Joseph Ossai (foot) and running back/kick returner Kene Nwangwu (back), who both sat out at Tennessee, will also be evaluated on a week-to-week basis. Ossai, who suffered a ruptured plantar fascia in his left foot during the preseason finale against the Giants on Aug. 28, is “getting really, really close,” Glenn said.
Rookie cornerback D'Angelo Ponds, linebacker Jamien Sherwood and cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. were expected to be limited at practice Wednesday with injuries.
With neither Fitzpatrick nor Cooper — both starters against the Titans — expected to play in the home opener Sunday against Green Bay, the Jets will need shuffle things a bit.
Dane Belton and Andre Cisco, who both filled in after Fitzpatrick and Brownlee went out with injuries, will see playing time in Fitzpatrick's absence.
“We have other experienced guys and that's the good thing about our team right now,” Glenn said. “Those guys have to step up. Cisco's played a lot of football in this league. I mean, he's been a damn good player in this league. Dane, we talked about how impressed I was at how he can come in and he can play basically the same role that Minkah had.”
The Jets also signed defensive back Jordan Clark, the son of former NFL safety Ryan Clark, to the active roster from the practice squad. The younger Clark had nine tackles in six games last season as an undrafted rookie.
With Cooper sidelined, New York signed veteran wide receivers Sterling Shepard — a former Giants star who played two seasons with Tampa Bay and was briefly in training camp this summer with Houston — and Tyler Johnson — who had 12 catches in 12 games last season for the Jets — to the practice squad.
New York currently has Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell, Isaiah Williams and Arian Smith as healthy wide receivers on its active roster.
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