NY Jets: 5 players the team can't afford to lose to injury in 2021

The injury bug. It's something that all teams hope they never have to experience, but inevitably do. Great teams have been derailed by injury in years past, such as the San Francisco 49ers last season.

Fresh off a Super Bowl run, the team seemed primed to repeat — only for their best players to miss time due to injury.

Injuries aren't good for anybody. The window in which teams can realistically compete for a chance at a championship is normally very short, meaning an injury-plagued season could ruin the chances of a competitive core claiming a title.

But not only can they hurt a contender, but they can also hurt the development of a young franchise. The NY Jets are likely still a few years away from competing, as general manager Joe Douglas has made it abundantly clear that the team is in undergoing a massive youth movement.

Young rosters are ideal in the NFL. Find the right players, develop them to excel in their prime, and have a competitive team for years to come.

It may take a few years for the stars to fully season, but the foundation is there. And for the first time in years, it seems as though the Jets have a competent coaching staff.

So what could derail development? Injuries.

The dream of any NFL coach, general manager, or fan is that their team stays healthy. Any injury is awful to deal with. However, some hurt more than others for a variety of reasons.

Here are five players on the NY Jets roster that cannot stand to have their season lost to injury.