Instant Reactions to Jets' Week 1 Inactive List: Changes at EDGE and Kicker

NASHVILLE, TN -- We're just a few hours away from the New York Jets opening up the 2026 season on the road against the Tennessee Titans.

There will be plenty of excitement going into the new year. New York will face off against former head coach Robert Saleh and many former players who were brought in. Before we go into this revenge game, though, it's important to know who won't be suiting up on Sunday.

Here's the full inactive list for the Jets, and some thoughts going in.

Jets inactive list for Week 1 vs. Titans

RB, Kene Nwangwu
EDGE, Joseph Ossai
CB, D'Angelo Ponds
K, Blake Grupe
LB, Trevin Wallace

New York is expected to roll with just Isaiah Williams as their main returner on both kickoffs and punts. Last season, Nwangwu was one of the best kick returners in the sport, but he suffered an injury in practice that will keep him out.

Ponds and Ossai are two players who missed a good portion of camp. Ossai is going to be week-to-week, but there's hope he'll be active next week as he continues to practice. Ponds, meanwhile, didn't get any sort of training camp, so he will need some time to develop in the Jets' defense in practice.

On the kicker side, the Jets signed Grupe off waivers but will make him a healthy scratch today in exchange for Jason Sanders. This has been a concern all camp for the Jets, as no player has stepped up. Make no mistake, if Grupe played well in the two weeks he's been with the team, he would be playing today. Kicker could very well be the team's Achilles' heel if they can't figure it out soon.

Trevin Wallace is another player who was picked up off waivers and is a healthy scratch as he learns the defense. New York will carry four linebackers into Sunday's game because of that.

Titans inactive list and notes:

LB, Cedric Gray
RB, Nick Singleton
LB, Owen Pappoe
OT, Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson
EDGE, Jalyn Jones
DT, Jackie Marshall
OL, Atonio Mafi

Tennessee is not walking into the season opener healthy. The Titans will be without linebacker Cedric Gray, who is out for today's game after being involved in a UTV accident earlier in the week. He's one of the better linebackers on the team, and his injury is something the Jets could exploit.

All of the former Jets who had a semblance of a starting role on a team will be healthy and ready to go for Tennessee. That includes edge rushers John Franklin-Myers and Jermaine Johnson, safety Tony Adams, and interior defensive lineman Solomon Thomas.

We should also expect a heavy workload today for Tennessee's two running backs, Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears. Nick Singleton may be a rookie, but he needs more time to develop. With temperatures over 90 degrees at kickoff, it could be a heavy running day for both teams. New York will have all three running backs at their disposal. It's something to keep an eye on that the Titans only have two.

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