The New York Jets will be facing off against the Denver Broncos tomorrow night at home. The team’s injury report is lengthy, but they are expecting to get wide receiver Jamison Crowder and rookie offensive tackle Mekhi Becton back for the game. Getting both players back would be huge for the last-ranked offense in the NFL.
Crowder has missed the last two games after suffering a hamstring injury. During the Week 1 game against Buffalo, he posted 7 receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown, being by far the most productive weapon Sam Darnold had. Crowder addressed his chances of playing tomorrow and how his progression has been.
“I feel real good about them,” he said. “I’ve been working out, doing some running… I feel like I did some really good cutting and ran a few routes [Tuesday] and it felt good.”
Head coach Adam Gase reiterated his excitement about getting Crowder back, calling him the team’s “best receiver.” Crowder certainly has been the most consistent option on the field, and it should give them a boost against a banged-up Denver secondary.
Rookie offensive tackle Mekhi Becton is expected to play tomorrow as well, after leaving early last game with a shoulder injury. Becton had an MRI done on Monday to determine the severity of his injury and it turned out much better than initially expected, according to Adam Gase.
“The MRI and everything turned out better than really we were thinking [Sunday] night.â€
That’s great news for the rookie and the team as a whole.
The starting left tackle has been very good through his first three games, even being named the highest-graded offensive rookie through two weeks, according to Pro Football Focus.
Highest-graded offensive rookies through Week 2:
1. Mekhi Becton – 79.7
2. Michael Onwenu – 78.0
3. Damien Lewis – 77.9
4. Tristan Wirfs – 76.4 pic.twitter.com/0zNmLGDzHb— PFF (@PFF) September 22, 2020
That’s great to see from a top draft pick and from a position that the Jets have desperately needed consistency from. If Becton does indeed play tomorrow, his job will not be all that easy. He would be lining up against defensive end Shelby Harris, who has 2 sacks so far this season, and potentially against linebacker Bradley Chubb.
Becton has held his own, though, so far during his transition to the NFL. He has had just one penalty called against him and he has allowed only one sack. That is, once again, great to see from the player responsible for guarding Darnold’s blind side.
Getting these two key players back would be much needed for a struggling offense. Based on the track they’ve been on so far this week, tomorrow’s game looks like the return for both of them.