NY Jets designate La’Mical Perine, Sam Ficken to return from IR

The NY Jets have designated La’Mical Perine and Sam Ficken to return from IR.

The NY Jets could be seeing the return of two injured players as soon as this week with the announcement that both running back La’Mical Perine and kicker Sam Ficken have been designated to return from injured reserve.

Both Perine and Ficken were placed on IR on November 24th shortly after the team’s Week 11 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Perine left the game early with an ankle injury that was later diagnosed as a high-ankle sprain. Prior to that game, the rookie fourth-round pick had played in nine games and rushed for 202 yards and two touchdowns on 55 carries.

Primarily receiving playing time behind veteran Frank Gore, it will be interesting to see how many touches he gets upon his return. In his absence, the likes of Ty Johnson and Josh Adams have stepped up as more productive alternatives.

The Jets will surely still want to see more of Perine, but it remains to be seen how much playing time he will actually receive.

The NY Jets might also return their kicker as soon as this week

As for Ficken, the incumbent kicker has played just one game since Week 6 while dealing with a nagging groin injury. He originally returned in Week 11 only to be placed on IR shortly after the game following a poor performance that consisted of two missed extra points.

In his place, the Jets have been playing former CFL and XFL kicker Sergio Castillo. After a hot start, Castillo tailed off, and following a disastrous outing this past Sunday that saw him miss three first-half field goals, the Jets cut ties with the 30-year-old on Tuesday.

The Jets also claimed former Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Chase McLaughlin off waivers on Monday seemingly indicating that Ficken might not be good to go this week.

Both Perine and Ficken have returned to practice, but they will need to be activated to the 53-man roster prior to Sunday if the plan is to play them in the game.

The Jets have a three-week window to activate both of them, although that three-week window coincides with the end of the regular season anyway.

It seems as though both players have a decent chance to return this Sunday, but their statuses will be worth monitoring over the next few days.