Robert Saleh provides worst possible Jermaine Johnson injury update for NY Jets

The best news from Sunday is that the New York Jets finally have a win. It was a little dicey there for a second, but getting the first win of the year is always reason to feel good about the day, especially when it was the second of two straight road games, and on a short week. The Tennessee Titans may not end up being very good this year, but a win's a win's a win.

Besides that – and maybe the few signs of life from Aaron Rodgers – things didn't go particularly well for the Jets in Nashville on Sunday.

Most notably, the defense lost starting edge rusher Jermaine Johnson to what looked like a serious lower leg injury. He was carted off the field midway through the third quarter after appearing to suffer a non-contact injury, and the footage of Soloman Thomas consoling Johnson as he was being driven off the field is tough to watch.

Thomas knows what it's like to suffer a season-ending injury in the middle of the game, as the former 49ers edge rusher tore his ACL back in 2020 during a game against, coincidentally enough, the Jets.

Making assumptions based on body language probably isn't the smartest thing to rely on, but it's pretty clear here that everyone on the field knows Johnson is coming back anytime soon. Head coach Robert Salh all but confirmed that in his postgame press conference.

NY Jets will likely lose Jermaine Johnson for the rest of the season

It's just brutal news for both the player and the team, as Johnson was one of the Jets' most promising up-and-coming players on a defense full of them. After going 26th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, Johnson had a quiet season as a rookie before bursting on the scene in 2023.

In 17 games last year – all of which he started – Johnson put up a career-best 7.5 sacks, 36 solo tackles, 15 QB hits and one forced fumble on the way to his first Pro Bowl selection.

How the Jets move forward from here is still a little uncertain – it still is Sunday afternoon, after all. But without their best edge rusher for the next 15 games, it seems likely that the team would be forced to play ball a little more seriously with Hasson Reddick, who's been holding out all season in hopes of landing a new contract.