Patriots-Jets Week Two Injury Report — Second Edition: Et tu, Jonnu? Quinn and Bear It?
While the New England Patriots once again enjoyed abundant attendance from their 53-man roster for practice on Thursday, there might be some cause for concern heading into Sunday’s game with the New York Jets.
For the second straight day, both offensive lineman Trent Brown (calf) and linebacker Kyle Van Noy (throat) did not participate in practice. As a result, their status for Sunday’s 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff at MetLife Stadium might be in jeopardy.
Here is Thursday’s full report, along with its implications for this Week Two matchup between the AFC East division rivals:
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
DID NOT PARTICIPATE
OL Trent Brown (calf)
LB Kyle Van Noy (throat)
LIMITED AVAILABILITY
OL Yodney Cajuste (hamstring)
OLB Ronnie Perkins (shoulder)
K Quinn Nordin (abdomen)
TE Jonnu Smith (hip)
FULL AVAILABILITY
WR Nelson Agholor (ankle)
S Kyle Dugger (wrist)
CB Jalen Mills (ankle)
NEW YORK JETS
DID NOT PARTICIPATE
LB Jamien Sherwood, Ankle
LIMITED AVAILABILITY
WR Keelan Cole, Knee
WR Jamison Crowder, Groin
FULL AVAILABILITY
No Players Listed
While the continued absence of both Brown and Van Noy has ominous implications regarding their playing status for Sunday, the presence of both Jonnu Smith and Quinn Nordin is enough to raise an eyebrow.
Smith is listed as a ‘limited’ participant with a hip injury. Having not been listed at all in Wednesday's report, it is possible that Smith suffered the injury during the Pats’ practice session on September 15. New England’s newcomer at tight end is no stranger to injury. The 26-year-old missed some practice time during training camp with a lower leg injury. Still, Smith has shown a great deal of resilience when overcoming injuries. He has never played in fewer than 12 games in each of his previous four pro seasons with the Tennessee Titans. With the Patriots seemingly intent on prominitely utilizing two-tight ends sets in their offensive game planning this weekend, Smith’s potential status is worth monitoring.
While Nordin has been one of the ‘feel-good’ stories of training camp, he was not the Patriots primary option at kicker to start the 2021 season. Incumbent kicker Nick Folk was one of two practice squad elevations on Sunday against the Dolphins, while the Pats undrafted rookie was inactive. Nordin was not listed on the Pats’ Wednesday injury report, leading one to conjecture whether he may have tweaked an existing injury (which sidelined him in week one) or if this is a new injury. While demonstrating unquestionable leg strength, Nordin’s consistency and reliability are considered slightly below that of Folk. Should Nordin once again be inactive for Sunday’s week two matchup, Folk will once again get the call-up. Interestingly enough, it would be the final time that the Patriots would be able to do so, before being forced to add the 36-year-old to the 53-man roster.
As for the Jets, their report remained largely unchanged from Wednesday's edition. However, the team did activate wide receiver Jamison Crowder from the reserve/COVID-19 list. As such, he was added to New York’s injury report on Thursday, tending to a groin injury. The 28-year-old adds a great deal of versatility to the Jets wide receiver grouping. His presence on the field would be an added asset for quarterback Zach Wilson. Newly-acquired receiver Keelan Cole was limited in practice for the second straight day with a knee injury.
