The Jets won in Tennessee, held the Titans to 10 points and 195 yards, and looked like the defense they paid for. It cost them their most expensive defender for a few weeks.
Minkah Fitzpatrick played six snaps in his Jets debut before a groin injury ended his day. Jordan Schultz reports a two-to-three week absence, which falls short of the four-game IR minimum, so New York is expected to keep him on the active roster.
Fitzpatrick, 29, came over from Miami in a March trade and signed a three-year, $40 million extension on arrival. He is a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro who has now been traded twice in two years. Six snaps into the new deal, he is hurt.
Andre Cisco took his spot in the starting lineup, and Dane Belton played every defensive snap.
The rookie first-rounder is banged up too
Omar Cooper Jr., one of three first-round picks the Jets used in the 2026 draft, lasted five snaps.
He made them count. Cooper caught a 30-yard third-down pass from Geno Smith on the opening drive, then left the game. X-rays came back negative and an MRI confirmed a high ankle sprain.
Rapoport reported Tuesday that Cooper is week to week with optimism he returns within four games, which again likely means no IR.
High ankle sprains are the injury nobody wants for a receiver. They rob you of the exact thing that makes the position work, which is the ability to stop and change direction at full speed.
New York went shopping
Before the signings, the Jets had four healthy active receivers: Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell, Isaiah Williams and Arian Smith. Tim Patrick went on IR on Sept. 12.
So on Tuesday the Jets added Sterling Shepard and Tyler Johnson to the practice squad, promoted defensive back Jordan Clark from the practice squad, and released offensive lineman Xavier Newman and linebacker Jaden Keller from the taxi squad. JuJu Smith-Schuster worked out for the team and did not get signed.
Shepard, 33, is in year 11. He was a Giants second-round pick in 2016, spent eight seasons in New York, then two with Tampa Bay where he put up 705 combined receiving yards. Houston signed him this summer and he did not make the 53 or the practice squad.
That is a depth move, not a solution.
The schedule does not care
Next up: Packers, Lions, Bears. Three NFC North offenses in a row, and the Jets will play at least part of that stretch without their All-Pro safety.
The Week 1 defensive performance was the best argument that the Jets’ offseason spending was smart. Now they get to find out how much of it was Fitzpatrick and how much of it was scheme.
On offense, a receiver room built around three first-round picks is temporarily down to two. Geno Smith has thrown to less.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.