The Jets are dealing with several injuries, but the return of a significant defensive piece could be imminent. Jets HC Aaron Glenn told reporters safety Minkah Fitzpatrick would be limited at practice Wednesday and is likely to return to the lineup Sunday vs. the Bears.
"There's a really good chance he'll be out there playing this weekend," Glenn said.
Fitzpatrick started in Week 1 but went down with a groin injury 6 plays into the Jets' 23-10 season-opening win over the Titans in Tennessee. Andre Cisco, who replaced Fitzpatrick in Nashville, and Dane Belton have been the Jets' safety pair for every play since Fitzpatrick was hobbled during a Cam Ward scramble.
Through three games, the Jets rank No. 2 in total defense (258.3 yds/g), No. 7 against the run (87.3 yds/g) and No. 3 against the pass (171 yds/g). A Fitzpatrick addition would be huge for a unit that will face Chicago's No. 3 ranked offense (408 yds/g). The Bears have the league's top-ranked rushing attack.
"I like moving around, I like being able to give the quarterback different looks," Fitzpatrick said this summer. "I think when you just sit in a half or post, they know that you're back there, and they could dial stuff up for you, but they could also avoid you. So, I like being a chess piece. It doesn't necessarily have to be in the slot, but I don't like being a moving target."
Glenn also said five players -- RB Breece Hall (thigh), WR Adonai Mitchell (finger), LG Dylan Parham (knee), TE Mason Taylor (thumb) and LB Kiko Mauigoa (quad) -- won't practice and are considered week- to- week. Mitchell, Taylor and Mauigoa were inactive on gameday against the Lions while Hall and Parham were injured during the fourth quarter.
If Hall can't go against the Bears, the Jets will turn to Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis in the offensive backfield. During the team's 1-2 start, Allen has rushed for 61 yards on 19 carries (3.2 per) with 1 TD and added 4 receptions for 11 yards. Davis, who was slowed by a knee injury in training camp, averaged 5.5 yards per carry last season -- the fifth-highest average among all running backs with 40-plus attempts.
In addition to Fitzpatrick, tight ends Kenyon Sadiq and Jeremy Ruckert, and RB-KR Kene Nwangwu were expected to be limited participants in practice.
