NY Jets News: Injury update on Nick Mangold

By Matthew Ordazzo | Oct 29, 2015

Center Nick Mangold of the NY Jets calls neck injury a ‘scary moment’

Mangold suffered an upper body injury during the Jets divisional match up with the New England Patriots this past Sunday afternoon. Mangold was left motionless after a collision with Patriots’ linebacker Jamie Collins.

The injury occurred within the final minutes of the Jets 30-23 loss to their rival New England Patriots. Mangold underwent a series of tests to determine the severity of his injury, thankfully, all tests including an MRI, CT scan and X-rays all came back negative.

Head coach Todd Bowles referred to his centers injury as a “sore neck.” There is currently no time-table for his return. Mangold holds an impressive track record when it comes to being a consistent starting center for the Jets, he has only missed three games during his nine-year career so far with the Jets.

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The Jets’ offensive line could expose a major weakness at center if Mangold is ruled out this Sunday against the Oakland Raiders. The Jets currently do not have a back up center on their 53-man roster as his back up is former college tackle and current guard Dakota Dozier.

Originally, the Jets had two natural centers on their roster during training camp in Mangold and Dalton Freeman. The team was not sold on the performance Freeman presented the team and decided to incorporate other offensive linemen at the center position to fight for back up rights. Dozier ultimately beat out fellow guards and tackles earning him a spot on the team as a versatile line man.

According to ESPN.com News Staff, when quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was asked about the possibility of Mangold not playing this Sunday, his response was:

“He saves my butt a lot, too. If they’re getting in different types of looks, we’re able to communicate and sometimes I can lean on him and rely on him to get everything straight up front, especially in the hostile road environments.”

Mangold ultimately is the heart and soul of the Jets, one of the longest tenured players currently on the team. Without Mangold this Sunday, the Jets enter the black hole in Oakland with a major weakness in their offensive line which is bad news for Fitzpatrick and the rest of the offense.

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