NY Jets lose another defensive starter for the season

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Lamarcus Joyner / Rich Schultz/Getty Images

The NY Jets continue to get hit with the injury bug as on Monday, it was revealed that starting safety Lamarcus Joyner would likely miss the remainder of the 2021 season.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Joyner suffered a torn tendon in his arm during Sunday's season-opener that will require surgery. The Jets will conduct further tests to confirm, but this injury will likely sideline him for the year.

After missing most of the summer with an injury, Joyner returned in Week 1 and started opposite Marcus Maye at safety. He played just nine defensive snaps before exiting with an injury.

Now, the Jets will be forced to pivot without two of their top three safeties. Hardly an ideal scenario for Robert Saleh's defense.

The NY Jets will be without Lamarcus Joyner for the season

Joyner was signed by the Jets to a one-year, $4.5 million contract in the offseason with the goal of him being one of the team's two starting safeties.

After five seasons with the Los Angeles Rams where he developed into one of the better free safeties in the NFL, Joyner signed with the Las Vegas Raiders ahead of the 2019 season.

The Raiders attempted to move Joyner to nickel cornerback full-time, a decision that turned out to be a mistake. Joyner struggled mightily in his two years with the Raiders earning Pro Football Focus grades of 47,5 and 53.8 in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

The Jets believed that Joyner could turn his career around with a move back to his natural safety position. Unfortunately, there's no way of knowing that now.

With Ashtyn Davis and Sharrod Neasman sidelined until at least Week 4, the Jets are in a tricky spot at the safety position. Unless an external addition is made, it's likely the Jets turn to either Sheldrick Redwine or Adrian Colbert to fill the void.

Lamarcus Joyner's Jets career might be over before it ever really started.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.