The New York Jets will have to play the Cleveland Browns without a full deck of cards it appears on Thursday Night Football. Linebacker Josh Martin and tight end Neal Sterling are ‘probably out’ for Week 3.
You could almost hear the phrase “next man up” in New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles’ brain this week leading into Week 3. The Jets will again hit prime time early on in the 2018 season when they play the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football.
But it won’t be with a full deck of cards. The Jets have not yet seen their starting outside linebacker opposite of Jordan Jenkins so far this season in Josh Martin, that’s due to a concussion that he suffered late in the preseason.
It’s been kind of a bittersweet moment for the green and white. Due to that injury, they’ve received a deeper look into their depth which has been a pleasant surprise thus far in 2018:
- Brandon Copeland
- Copeland brings some nice speed to the position and has already recorded a sack so far this season. We’ll see if he can continue his solid play for the Jets.
- Frankie Luvu
- From his impressive play in the preseason, it sure seemed like he was a lock to make the team. Well, that didn’t happen. He was brought up to the roster and has made an impact.
The offense is also going to take a hit without the talented Neil Sterling at tight end. Sterling is also battling concussion-like symptoms and is looking like he won’t be able to suit up against the Browns. This means the Jets will have to rock with a tight end by committee:
- Eric Tomlinson
- He’s a relatively plain jane tight end from first impressions, but he has deceptive speed. Eric is more known for his blocking prowess than what he can do in the passing game.
- Christopher Herndon
- Meanwhile, it seems the opposite is true for Chris. He’s a solid if not unspectacular run blocker, but he can be a star in the passing game. Sadly, he dropped a few balls in the latest affair against the Miami Dolphins that really cost the Jets. He needs to catch the football or he won’t be staying on the football field long.
#NYJvsCLE Thursday Night Football breakdown: @BoyGreen25 spoke w/ @JeffRisdon of @TheBrownsWire to discuss what really happened with Josh Gordon + Sam Darnold proving #Browns made a mistake on draft day + #Jets matchups to watch out for! #JetUp #TNF https://t.co/b9oWYgYaWy
— The Jets Zone (@TheJets_Zone) September 18, 2018
