The New York Jets may have spent their biggest free-agent money this spring on Joseph Ossai, but the edge rusher’s summer has turned into a long stretch of waiting.
Ossai opened camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list, which kept him out of most of training camp and the Jets’ first two preseason games. He finally got back on the field for the preseason finale, joining other projected starters such as T'Vondre Sweat and David Bailey, but the return didn’t last. Ossai left early against the New York Giants with a foot injury and never came back.
Head coach Aaron Glenn addressed the situation Monday, and the news wasn’t encouraging. Glenn described Ossai as "week-to-week," while ESPN’s Rich Cimini added that he "wouldn't be surprised" if Ossai landed on short-term injured reserve with an eventual designation to return at some point this season.
The injury is being described as plantar fascia-related, and Glenn said Ossai suffered a full tear. That detail at least points to a clearer rehab path, but it doesn’t make the update any easier for a player the Jets expected to have ready for Week 1.
Ossai was lined up to start opposite David Bailey on the edge, with his run defense giving New York another piece to help the No. 2 overall pick while he continued developing his own edge-setting game. Instead, the timeline has become uncertain.
If Ossai does wind up on short-term injured reserve, he would miss at least the first four games of the season. That would rule him out against the Tennessee Titans, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears, assuming the absence stops there.
For now, the Jets appear set to lean more heavily on Kingsley Enagbare. The former Packers defender has had a strong summer of his own and figures to handle plenty of the work Ossai was expected to take on while the Jets wait for their biggest free-agent edge signing to get healthy.
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