FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The New York Jets might be without their only proven wide receiver on Sunday, when they face one of the best defenses in the NFL.
Jamison Crowder injured his hamstring during Wednesday’s practice and didn’t practice Thursday. Jets coach Adam Gase said Crowder will be evaluated further, leaving his status in doubt for Sunday’s home-opener against the San Francisco 49ers at MetLife Stadium.
“Just running, (he) just kind of pulled up,” Gase said. “We’ve just got to see how bad it is.”
If Crowder can’t play Sunday, it will be very bad for a Jets’ offense which is already struggling and missing a key weapon in running back Le’Veon Bell, who is on injured reserve until at least Week 5 after suffering a hamstring injury Sunday. The Jets had only 254 total yards in Sunday’s loss to the Bills. Crowder accounted for 115 yards on six catches, including a 69-yard touchdown reception.
Gase said Crowder’s injury likely won’t be serious enough to land him on injured reserve. But was less revealing about his chances to play Sunday.
“Obviously, if he’s missing practice (Thursday), we need to make sure that he’s good before we put him out there,” Gase said. “We’ve got to see how it goes. We’re still evaluating him. If we can get him back out there (for practice) that’s a good sign. We’ll just kind of see how the rest of the week plays out.”
The injuries to Bell and Crowder are a huge hit for a Jets’ offense which is already without wide receiver Denzel Mims, a second-round pick who was expected to contribute as a rookie but will also be out until at least Week 5 after going on injured reserve with a hamstring injury earlier this week.
It sets up a brutal situation for quarterback Sam Darnold, who is coming off one of the worst games of his career.
New York Jets wide receiver Jamison Crowder (82) rushes against the New York Giants. The Jets face the Giants in the first preseason game at MetLife Stadium on Thursday, August 8, 2019, in East Rutherford.
Darnold’s primary weapons for the matchup, if Crowder can’t play: receivers Breshad Perriman (three catches for 17 yards at Buffalo), Chris Hogan (one catch, zero yards), Braxton Berrios (didn’t play an offensive snap), tight end Chris Herndon (six catches, 37 yards), and running backs Frank Gore (six carries, 24 yards), Josh Adams (two carries, eight yards and a touchdown) and Kalen Ballage (signed by the team on Tuesday).
It’s not an ideal situation, but Darnold disputes the perception that he doesn’t have enough weapons to succeed.
“That’s not true at all,” Darnold said. “We have really good playmakers. Again, it’s about me getting the ball in their hands and making sure that they can run after the catch.”
Some good injury news for the Jets: Rookie left tackle Mekhi Becton, who injured his knee but played through it in Sunday’s loss to the Bills, felt good in limited reps Wednesday and was set to practice fully Thursday.
Running back La’Mical Perine also returned to limited practice Thursday for the first time since suffering an ankle injury during practice Aug. 30. Gase said Perine might participate in team drills. The fourth-round pick out of April could be a factor in the Jets’ offense if he does play Sunday.
“He’s a tough kid, he’s pushing it,” Gase said. “He’s tired of standing on the sideline. He wants to be out there. He sees our situation, as far as where our numbers are at right now. He knows that if he’s right and if he’s able to play on Sunday that he can help us out.”
Perine impressed in training camp, but hasn’t played in nearly three weeks. The long layoff won’t be a factor in Gase’s decision to use him Sunday, if he’s healthy enough to play.
“I’m not concerned with him mentally,” Gase said. “He’s a football junkie and he loves everything about this. He loves being in the meetings, he loves being on the field. He watches a ton of tape. … That kid’s built with the right stuff.”
Meanwhile, linebacker Avery Williamson, who suffered a hamstring injury last week, was set to ramp up his workload in team drills as a limited participant, according to Gase.
Outside linebacker Tarell Basham was listed as limited on the injury report with a hip injury after practicing fully Wednesday, which means he could have suffered the injury during practice.
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