Minkah Fitzpatrick injury paves the way for D'Angelo Ponds breakout

The New York Jets' master plan for their secondary has already suffered a noteworthy bump in the road when Minkah Fitzpatrick suffered a groin injury on his first drive of the season. A defense that was already down second-round pick D'Angelo Ponds needed to steel their nerves to pull out a win against the Tennessee Titans.

According to Jordan Schultz, Fitzpatrick is expected to be on the mend for 2-3 weeks. While not ideal considering the gauntlet of quarterbacks the team has to face, this is certainly far from the worst-case scenario. Ponds, meanwhile, may return to full health after missing almost all of camp with a calf injury.

The Jets were not shy about throwing rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq in the deep end of the pool in Week 1, and he responded with three catches and a rushing touchdown. Ponds could be in for a similar workload against the Green Bay Packers, as a thin secondary may be counting on their prized Top 50 pick to make an impact.

New York Jets rookie D'Angelo Ponds will need to help replace Minkah Fitzpatrick

The Jets value Fitzpatrick as a safety, but part of why they acquired him is his versatility and skill at playing close to the line of scrimmage. While Dane Belton filled in for Fitzpatrick after his injury and did an exceptional job, Aaron Glenn wants one of his team captains out there against a Packers team that can light up the scoreboard.

Ponds is in a weird spot right now. While his 5-foot-9 and 175-pound frame will likely force him inside at the NFL level, he has played almost exclusively as an outside cornerback in his college career. Changing positions is hard enough, but doing so right before a very important game against a tough quarterback with minimal practice time is even more difficult.

With Minkah out, it seems like Belton and Andre Cisco will occupy traditional safety roles, while Jarvis Brownlee Jr. gets a good deal of snaps in the nickel. Tag-teaming with Brownlee is where Ponds can excel.

D'Angelo Ponds will be needed for the New York Jets against the Packers

Green Bay, for all their faults, knows how to put together a quality downfield passing game. The 1-2 punch of Brandon Stephens and Azareye'h Thomas on the outside will be tested more than it was against the Titans, and they could use a Ponds-sized X-factor to turn the tide in their favor.

Ponds is assuredly going to have some "welcome to the NFL" moments in his rookie season, especially when facing NFL-level athletes, but he has shown throughout his college career that his athleticism and nose for the football have helped him play beyond his physical limitations.

After some initial concerns with this rookie class, the arrow seems to be pointing upward. Sadiq scored; Bailey had an up-and-down debut that still featured multiple pressures and a sack, and Ponds is one step closer to showing the NFL why it was a mistake for him to fall to the second round.

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