The New York Jets may have secured a Week 1 victory over the Titans, but the win came with a significant cost: a groin injury to Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick exited the game after just six plays on Sunday, a development that coach Aaron Glenn acknowledged creates a challenge for the team's secondary. The Jets acquired Fitzpatrick in March, intending for him to be a versatile defensive player and a primary communicator in the back end. His absence forced a reshuffling of duties, with fellow safety Dane Belton stepping into Fitzpatrick's roles and Andre Cisco entering the game as a reserve.
"Once Minkah was down, man, I give a lot of credit to Dane on the way that he came in and he operated because now he’s started picking up those roles that Minkah usually has," Glenn said Monday. "You guys might have seen him. He’s playing at the nickel position, he’s playing safety, he moved all over the field. When Jarvis [Brownlee Jr.] went down, he actually went in and started playing nickel for us. Cisco did a really good job of actually coming in and playing the safety and that’s one thing that we talk about quite a bit. It’s getting guys to play in different positions and being able to operate. No matter who’s in the game, injuries are going to happen in this league; you can’t get away from it. What overcomes injuries though, and to me it’s a play style. I think our guys understand that and they did a good job of that."
While Glenn did not provide a specific update on Fitzpatrick's injury Monday, he indicated that a quick return from a groin issue is unlikely. This suggests the Jets will need to find solutions in their defensive backfield until Fitzpatrick is healthy.
Beyond Fitzpatrick's injury, Glenn also mentioned he had no update on wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr., who is dealing with an ankle injury.
Despite the defensive personnel concerns, Glenn did express gratitude for the traveling Jets fans who supported the team in Nashville, noting their presence provided a boost to the players during the game. "The first thing I really would like to do is just thank the fans for how they traveled to come support us," Glenn said. "It was outstanding to look behind us and see that many Jet fans there and the Jet chant that was going out. It really gave our guys a boost when it came to just finishing this game, and I talk about this all the time of creating your own momentum and with our fans operating the way they did, we as a whole: fans, players, coaches, we did create our own momentum, so I thought that was outstanding."