Jets Friday Notebook Week 5: Key Injury Updates, Nahshon Wright's Outlook & More

Here's what to make note of before a potentially storm battle at MetLife Stadium.

The latest on TE Mason Taylor's injury status is among the most important updates coming out of Friday's Jets practice. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The Jets need a win, and fast.

At 1-3, the organization has little wiggle room to remain competitive this season. They also happen to be walking into a home contest this weekend against the 3-1 Browns in what is expected to be rainy weather. According to AccuWeather, there is a 94% chance that rain from Tropical Rainstorm Isaias will impact the East Rutherford weather on Sunday.

At practice on Friday, the Jets shifted their focus to the Browns with some key notes along the way.

So let's open up the notebook and see what fans should know heading into the weekend.

Latest injury updates

There's good news and bad news when it comes to the Jets' injury front.

The good news is that starting tight end Mason Taylor is expected to play on Sunday after missing the last two games with an injury. He will be a welcome addition to the offense heading into Week 5. Jarvis Brownlee and Kingsley Enagbare are also expected to practice today and could be in line to start on Sunday.

In the case of Adonai Mitchell, the team also believes he could eventually get back to practice next week with a finger injury that did not require surgery, according to Jets head coach Aaron Glenn.

Adonai Mitchell's finger injury will force him out of the Jets' lineup for the third straight game in Week 5. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

But is the finger broken? A sprain? No one seems to know. All Glenn will say is that no procedure was done.

"(Adonai is) progressing faster than we thought that he would," Glenn said. "Once we got to the end of it of knowing exactly what the prognosis was when it comes to his finger."

That said, the likes of running back Breece Hall, Mitchel, and left guard Dylan Parham will all miss Sunday's action against the Browns due to their slate of injuries. Glenn did seem hopeful they could also return to the practice field next week, but they are not making any promises or clear expectations.

Why Nahshon Wright isn't seeing any playing time

The Jets signed Nahshon Wright this past offseason to help fix a secondary that was one of the worst in the league last year. Wright was coming off a Pro Bowl season in Chicago, and his ball-hawking abilities were seen as a positive for a Jets team that failed to record an interception the previous year.

So far this season, though, Wright hasn't played. In fact, New York has made him a healthy scratch in the last two weeks, leaving some to wonder whether his time in Gotham is already nearing its end.

On Friday, Glenn broke down exactly why Wright has been on the outside looking in. While the Jets brought him in to help fix the defense, the cornerback room has played a lot better than anyone could have previously predicted.

We have a lot of guys in this secondary that are playing well/ Not everyone can play. It has no bearing on who Nahshon is as a player, but AZ Thomas and Brandon Stephens are playing well.

Aaron Glenn on Nahshon Wright

Glenn is correct. Stephens and Thomas are both ranked as top-20 cornerbacks in the league in pass coverage. Stephens, specifically, is in the top 15. The development of their outside corners has been a small positive for the 1-3 Jets.

While Glenn did say Wright will eventually see the field, barring injury or poor play, it's hard to pinpoint exactly where at this time.

Second-quarter thoughts

Every coach looks at the NFL season in quarters. The first four games of the year are the "first quarter" of a season, and so on. Glenn confirmed that's exactly how he looks at where the Jets are going forward.

Even if they were bad in the "first quarter" of the year.

"I think it helps to look at it in that aspect," Glenn said. "Knowing that we're 1-3 this quarter, we have
another quarter to be able to see how we improve on that. I think sometimes it makes it easy to just condense the season into that, so guys can stay just pinpointed and focused on it. Also, I think it's important you just look at each game and just go from there."

Will Aaron Glenn's quarter-by-quarter approach to the Jets' 2026 season pay off in the long run? | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As the Jets prepare for the second quarter of the season, they will have three games against teams that didn't make the playoffs last season. The Browns, Dolphins and Raiders are all teams that the Jets need to beat in order to keep their season alive.

And at the end of the day, if they can win the second and third quarter of the year, it may put them in better standing moving forward.

Part of that switch, though, is getting the team to start fast. New York has found themselves in offensive holes over the last few weeks, and it's something the team is working to correct.

"Just for the psyche of your team, just for the fans and all that, it's obviously pretty good to be able to do that," Glenn said.

While Gang Green's psyche is poor right now, it's even worse for the fans. If the Jets want to show they have grown as an organization, Sunday is as much of a must-win as ever.

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