NY Jets news: Jeremy Ruckert absence, Olu Fashanu position change, rookie LB tears ACL

As the NY Jets' world continues to move forward in the wake of Haason Reddick's trade request, the team will be dealing with an unfortunate absence from one of their key offensive players over the next few days.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh told reporters on Monday that tight end Jeremy Ruckert would be out for a few days as he is "dealing with a couple of things." Saleh did not elaborate on whether Ruckert's absence was injury-related or not, just that he would miss time.

Ruckert did not appear in the Jets' first preseason game on Saturday, although the team may have simply decided to hold him out with the rest of the starters. There has been no report that he's dealing with any sort of injury.

In the meantime, the Jets will lean on Tyler Conklin and Kenny Yeboah at tight end, with the likes of Anthony Firkser, Lincoln Sefcik, and recent addition Neal Johnson in line for increased reps in practice.

More NY Jets news:

Olu Fashanu practicing at both OT spots

Jets first-round pick Olu Fashanu made his preseason debut this past Saturday and emerged as one of the team's most notable standouts. On Monday, the Jets officially tried him in a new role.

Fashanu practiced at both left and right tackle for the first time on Monday. The Penn State product had spent the entire summer to this point working exclusively at left tackle.

Saleh told reporters after practice that the plan was to continue cross-training Fashanu at both tackle spots over the next couple of weeks to help prepare him for the regular season. This would suggest that the Jets view Fashanu as their primary swing tackle entering the year.

The Jets had previously committed to playing Fashanu only at left tackle, but the team clearly wants to maximize his versatility and overall value to the team. Fashanu's future may be at left tackle, but he's going to be a crucial insurance policy at both tackle positions for the Jets in 2024.

Jets rookie linebacker tears his ACL

The Jets announced on Monday that undrafted rookie linebacker Jimmy Ciarlo had been waived/injured after tearing his ACL in Saturday's preseason opener. The former Army standout signed with the Jets following the 2024 NFL Draft and was hoping to stick around on the practice squad.

Ciarlo will revert to the Jets' injured reserve if he clears waivers. The same is true for undrafted rookie cornerback Myles Jones, who was also waived/injured on Monday. Jones did not play in Saturday's preseason game.

The Jets used their two open roster spots to sign tight end Neal Johnson and linebacker Anthony Hines. Johnson is an undrafted rookie out of Louisiana who was waived by the Los Angeles Rams last week.

Hines is the latest former UFL addition for the Jets, joining the likes of Adrian Martinez, Kohl Levao, and his ex-teammate on the DC Defenders, Brandon Smith.

A former four-star recruit, a major injury and a COVID opt-out forced Hines to fall well short of expectations at Texas A&M, but he's receiving another NFL opportunity with the Jets following an impressive season in the UFL.