The Jets will have another new starting left tackle Sunday.
Duane Brown was activated off of injured reserve Saturday and is expected to start at left tackle. The Jets signed Brown in August to a two-year contract that guaranteed him $9 million. The Jets signed Brown after Mekhi Becton was lost for the season and Brown was expected to start the year at left tackle. He injured his shoulder in practice before Week 1 and has missed the team’s first four games.
Brown, 37, will be the Jets’ third starting left tackle this season. George Fant started the first three games before he went on IR with a knee injury. Alijah Vera-Tucker started there last week against the Steelers. With Brown back, Vera-Tucker could now move to right tackle with Nate Herbig at right guard. It would be Vera-Tucker’s third different position this season.
The Jets placed rookie tackle Max Mitchell on IR on Saturday. Mitchell started the first four games at right tackle but injured his knee last week.
Jets rookies Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall have all received a lot of attention this season. But Jermaine Johnson has quietly been putting together a strong season, too.
Johnson, who was the third of the Jets’ three first-round picks in April, has been solid on the defensive line. He has 1.5 sacks, which is tied for second on the team and has made 12 tackles, two for a loss.
“He’s getting better,” Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said. “He’s young. He’s got a long way to go, but I’ve been extremely happy with what he’s done. I think we all knew that he had length, he had speed, he had pass-rush ability. That was not a surprise to me. The level of physicality that he has brought to the run game — not to say I didn’t see it, I don’t remember it being so blatant. He puts hands on people and people move. Extremely happy with the progress he’s making. Saying that, he’s got a long way to go. I don’t think he’s even scratched the surface of what he can become.”
The Jets have a heavy rotation along the defensive line, so Johnson has only played about 33 percent of the defensive snaps but he is having an impact in both the run and pass games.
LB Hamsah Nasirildeen was elevated from the practice squad for Sunday’s game.