Latest Jets injury opens door for rookie to shine at training camp

The New York Jets placed starting edge rusher Jermaine Johnson on the Active/PUP list to open training camp this week in a move that was expected and likely precautionary as he continues to work his way back from a torn Achilles he suffered last September.

The team remains optimistic that Johnson will be ready to go for Week 1, but there’s no guarantee he’ll immediately return to form less than a year removed from such a major injury.

That uncertainty has opened the door for others on the depth chart to step up, and perhaps no one stands to benefit more than rookie fifth-round pick Tyler Baron.

With additional reps now available this summer in a razor-thin defensive end room, Baron will have every opportunity to turn heads and carve out a role in what could be one of the Jets’ most wide-open roster battles.

Tyler Baron can take advantage of Jermaine Johnson's summer absence

Baron arrives in Florham Park with plenty of high-level college experience under his belt. A four-year contributor at Tennessee, Baron appeared in 48 games for the Volunteers before transferring to Miami for his senior season. He finished his one year in Miami with 5.5 sacks and a career-high 11 tackles for loss.

At 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, Baron offers a solid athletic profile and prototypical edge defender size. He’s a capable run defender with a physical play style that could allow him to compete for early-down snaps in Steve Wilks' defense.

His ceiling may not be sky-high, but Baron brings a baseline set of NFL-caliber skills that the Jets could really use in their defensive end rotation. That’s especially true given the current state of the Jets’ edge group.

Johnson is still working his way back from that torn Achilles. Will McDonald broke out as a pass rusher last season but remains a liability in run defense. And the depth behind them is lackluster at best.

Top projected backup Micheal Clemons is coming off a brutal 2024 season in which he finished as one of the lowest-graded edge defenders in the NFL. His roster spot is probably safe, but he's hardly an inspiring depth option.

Elsewhere, the Jets added former Titans pass rusher Rashad Weaver as a low-risk flier, but while Weaver reportedly impressed in spring practices, he hasn’t recorded a sack since 2021 and spent most of last year bouncing between practice squads.

The rest of the depth chart features recent UDFAs like Braiden McGregor and Eric Watts, both of whom remain long shots to emerge as actual contributors this year. All of this presents a golden opportunity for Baron to take advantage of the extra reps this summer and carve out a rotational role.

While Johnson’s absence from the field isn’t ideal, it may just provide Baron with the extended training camp reps he needs to build confidence and push for a regular role on defense.

There’s a real opportunity here, and if Baron can take advantage, he could become a vital piece of a Jets defensive line that’s suddenly extremely thin.

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