4 Jets Suddenly Look More Important in Week 5 as Breece Hall and AD Mitchell's Outlook Worsens

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Every NFL team is dealing with its fair share of injuries now that we're one month into the 2026 season, and the New York Jets aren't an exception.
The latest wave of injury news heading into a Week 5 showdown with the Cleveland Browns is impacting New York's offense, which is already struggling to score points this season (19.0 ppg, T-24th). And while it's been nice to see tight end Mason Taylor make significant strides toward his return, it's starting to look like the Jets will be without two key offensive pieces against the Browns: star running back Breece Hall and No. 2 wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.
The offensive duo each missed the Week 4 loss to the Chicago Bears. Hall is dealing with a quadriceps injury, while Mitchell's hand issue kept him off the field. Unfortunately, neither Jet is making much progress, as both Hall and Mitchell missed Thursday's practice, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini, marking their second straight absence this week.
No surprise here, but no sign of Breece Hall and AD Mitchell at practice. Jarvis Brownlee Jr in positional drills. #Jets
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) October 8, 2026
Back-to-back missed practices don't create much optimism for a potential Week 5 appearance. Assuming Hall and Mitchell need more time to heal and are inactive against the Browns, the Jets might need to rely on these four players to lead them to a potential win.
1. Garrett Wilson, WR
How does, arguably, the most important player on the roster become even more important? Well, by the Jets finally treating him consistently like that.
Don't get it twisted: Garrett Wilson is off to a solid start this season, converting 31 targets into 24 receptions for 270 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Staying at this pace puts him on track for a 102-1,148-9 statline in 17 games, which would be career-high marks across the board. The problem is that Wilson's stat line should be better.
Sports Illustrated's Nick Faria said it best when he wrote, "Wilson needs at least 12-15 targets per game." Over four weeks, Wilson has been the recipient of only one double-digit game, when he saw 13 targets against the Detroit Lions in Week 3.
Unsurprisingly, that produced his best line (10-107-1) of the season. How'd the Jets follow that up? They targeted him just four times in the 11-point loss to the Bears in Week 4, in which they didn't score a touchdown until the fourth quarter.
Considering how poorly their depth WRs have performed, the Jets have every reason to funnel the offense through Wilson if Mitchell and Hall can't play in Week 5.
2. Isaiah Davis, RB
It isn't Braelon Allen's fault that he didn't see a ton of opportunities last week, but having 14 catches for 59 rushing yards didn't leave much to be excited about. Although Allen is a solid backup, the Jets might benefit from getting more legs involved in the backfield, which means finally giving Isaiah Davis a chance to run with the ball.
Even though he's played 73 snaps this season, only two of those came on offense for Davis, with neither resulting in a carry. His usage (or lack thereof) has been bizarre, especially when the former 2024 fifth-rounder has been productive in his young NFL career. Davis has 410 rushing yards on 73 carries, 261 receiving yards on 30 catches, while scoring three total touchdowns. On top of that, he's done it without fumbling the ball once.

If Hall can't play, the Jets can lighten Allen's load by finally giving Davis some carries. The Browns might be 3-1, but their run defense hasn't been great on the road, allowing the 10th-most rushing yards per game and the 11th-most yards per carry in enemy territory. If that doesn't give enough reason to use Davis, I don't know what will.
3. Kenyon Sadiq, TE
Kenyon Sadiq showed Jets fans, coaches, and teammates exactly the player he could be in Week 3, amassing seven catches for 105 yards and a touchdown in the Motor City. But just like the Jets let Wilson down a week after an offensive explosion, Sadiq went from being a hero to a stat line that reads like a quote from former NBA head coach Sam Mitchell:
Zero touchdowns. Zero receiving yards. Zero receptions.
Sadiq also saw his targets cut in half (eight to four), which was extremely disappointing for anyone hoping to see him build on his potential Offensive Rookie of the Year case. Hopefully, offensive coordinator Frank Reich learned his lesson and plans to use Sadiq more, especially if Mitchell's absence continues to leave a hole in the passing game.
The fact that Taylor will likely make his return could allow the Jets to use Sadiq more as a receiver, potentially creating favorable mismatches. Anything to give Gang Green an offensive edge this weekend will be necessary.
4. Tim Patrick, WR
For better or worse, offseason additions like Minkah Fitzpatrick, Dane Belton and Joseph Ossai have had a chance to make early impressions on Jets fans. One offseason arrival who hasn't had a chance to make his regular-season debut is Tim Patrick, whose practice window finally opened on Wednesday (h/t Jets) after missing four games on injured reserve due to a groin strain.
WR Tim Patrick has been designated to return
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 7, 2026
With so many WR-related injuries impacting the offense, the Jets should be excited to get a veteran like Patrick back. He isn't going to walk onto the field and be the same guy who caught 104 balls for 1,476 yards and 11 TDs with the Denver Broncos in 2020 and 2021, but anything is an improvement for a New York team whose WRs not named Wilson, Mitchell, or Isaiah Williams have combined for only two catches and 33 yards.
Patrick had a modest 15-187-3 line in 16 games with the Jacksonville Jaguars last season, which is far from his best numbers, but beggars can't be choosers at this point. Throw in the fact that he's a solid run blocker, and it's clear how Patrick could help the Jets' shorthanded offense this weekend, assuming he's healthy enough to play.
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With a master's degree in journalism from Carleton University, Devon has spent the last six years in digital sports media, writing for Forbes Advisor, Betting News, Athlon Sports, The Hockey Writers and FanSided. Devon's work at OnSI includes covering the New York Yankees, New York Knicks and New York Jets.