NY Jets news: Xavier Gipson injury, starting OL benched, Tyron Smith praise

The NY Jets are fortunate enough to have a relatively healthy roster as they enter training camp this week, but one notable player suffered an apparent injury during Thursday's practice.

Second-year wide receiver Xavier Gipson limped off during a pass to Allen Lazard in 11-on-11 drills on Thursday and did not return to practice. Jets head coach Robert Saleh told reporters later in the day that the team did not have an update on Gipson's status.

Gipson enters the summer as not only the Jets' primary kick and punt returner but also as the incumbent WR3 on the depth chart behind Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams. If the season were to start tomorrow, Gipson would likely be the team's starting slot receiver.

The Jets hope that rookie Malachi Corley can eventually take over the starting job, but Gipson is going to have a role both on offense and special teams in 2024 if he's healthy. Here's to hoping the injury is nothing major.

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John Simpson benched twice

The Jets' offensive line was one of the highlights of Thursday's practice, as even without Alijah Vera-Tucker and Morgan Moses in team drills, the unit looks significantly improved from where it was a year ago.

The one negative takeaway from the day, however, was a pair of gaffes committed by starting left guard John Simpson. The free-agent addition was benched in favor of Xavier Newman on two occasions for a pair of false start penalties.

Penalty issues have plagued Simpson throughout his career, as the former Baltimore Ravens starter was flagged a whopping 11 times in 2023 (his best season), ranking second-worst among all guards.

The Jets seem to be taking penalties more seriously in practice this summer, and Simpson is the first notable player to be held accountable. Let's hope this doesn't become a recurring issue for the new Jets starter.

Everyone loves Tyron Smith

Tyron Smith is already exceeding expectations with the Jets, both on and off the field. The future Hall of Fame left tackle has been a large reason for the offensive line's resurgence in camp this summer, and his work off the field has proved to be just as valuable.

Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson spoke glowingly about Smith on Thursday, calling his experience lining up opposite him in practice "invaluable." He went on to discuss how Smith would come to him with advice both during and after the play.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh later went out of his way to talk about Smith's leadership on and off the field, highlighting how the All-Pro tackle will spend valuable time after practice passing on knowledge to the younger players on the roster, as can be seen below.

Tyron Smith is not only one of the best players on the Jets' roster, but he's essentially serving as an extra coach on and off the field. The value he provides to this team cannot be overstated.