First NY Jets injury report for Week 1 is encouraging for key offensive star

If the NY Jets are going to have any chance of reaching their lofty goals for the 2024 season, they're going to need a better string of injury luck than they received last year.

There are some genuine injury concerns with this Jets roster. The offensive line is relying on two starters coming off major injuries and a left tackle in Tyron Smith, who hasn't played more than 13 games in a season since 2015. There's also, of course, the Aaron Rodgers factor.

Another player returning from injury in 2024 is wide receiver Mike Williams, who tore his ACL last September playing for the Los Angeles Chargers. The Jets have maintained that they expect Williams to be ready for Week 1, and Thursday's injury report was an important step in the right direction.

The Jets released their first injury report of the 2024 season on Thursday ahead of their Week 1 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. Williams was listed as a full participant in Thursday's practice.

Below is a look at the entire Jets injury report.

NY Jets injury report Week 1

Backup offensive lineman Wes Schweitzer is the only Jets player who did not practice on Thursday. Schweitzer is apparently dealing with a hand injury which is something to monitor moving forward.

The seven-year veteran is the Jets' primary backup interior lineman. If he were forced to miss Monday's game, Xavier Newman would likely step up and fill that role. Jake Hanson could be elevated from the practice squad to give the Jets an additional backup interior lineman.

Newman is still listed on the injury report with a shoulder injury that he suffered in the Jets' preseason finale, but he was a full participant in Thursday's practice. The same goes for offensive tackle Max Mitchell (shoulder) and cornerback Jarrick Bernard-Converse (groin).

Left tackle Tyron Smith was given a veteran rest day as part of his pre-planned practice schedule. The Jets will be very cautious with Smith this year, following a similar plan to what the Cowboys did with him last season. Expect to see plenty of rest days for the future Hall of Famer.

Finally, Williams was listed as a full participant in Thursday's practice, a major step in the right direction as the veteran wide receiver prepares for his Jets debut in Week 1.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh did tell reporters this week that Williams would be on a "pitch count," so expect to see a lot of Allen Lazard on Monday. It remains to be seen how much Williams will play, but the fact that he's already practicing in a full capacity is a great sign for his availability moving forward.

The Jets are essentially at full strength entering their season opener against the 49ers. That's incredibly encouraging, especially given where they were a year ago at this time.

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