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Keelan Cole Headlines Jets' Inactives vs. Panthers

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Jets wide receiver Keelan Cole is officially inactive for Sunday's opener against the Panthers

The former Jaguars wideout, who signed this offseason in free agency, popped up on New York's injury report midway through the week with a knee injury.

Now, he and veteran Jamison Crowder—who led the Jets in receiving yards a year ago, but recently tested positive for COVID-19—won't play against Carolina.

Cole isn't the only one that's inactive for New York on Sunday. Running backs La'Mical Perine and Josh Adams, cornerback Jason Pinnock, linebacker Quincy Williams and defensive lineman Jonathan Marshall are all sidelined as well.

This injury update has the potential to have a huge impact on New York's offense. With Crowder and Cole out, expect to see Denzel Mims, Braxton Berrios and Jeff Smith get more snaps on the outside. We already knew rookie quarterback Zach Wilson was going to target Corey Davis and Elijah Moore quite a bit, but now he'll need to look for a spark from some guys that projected to be lower on the depth chart heading into the regular season as well.

Why Denzel Mims Could Have a Breakout Game Against the Panthers

Missing both Perine and Adams is a blow to the running game as well. Mike LaFleur's offense is rooted in running the football, providing different looks and giving different backs a plethora of carries. With those two out, even if they didn't factor into the equation too much when healthy, it places more pressure on veteran Tevin Coleman along with Ty Johnson and rookie Michael Carter to get the job done.

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