Why the Jets placed T’Vondre Sweat on NFI and what comes next

The New York Jets are mostly healthy as they approach the official start of training camp next week, but the team made three injury-related roster moves on Saturday. What should Jets fans make of them?

As first reported by The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt, the Jets placed defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat on the non-football injury list with a hamstring injury. Veteran wide receiver Tim Patrick and second-year edge defender Tyler Baron were also placed on the physically unable to perform list.

Rosenblatt reported that Sweat's injury is "not considered serious" at this time, while Patrick is also not expected to be out for an extended period of time. Baron's absence is likely related to the knee injury he suffered in December of last year.

The good news for the Jets is that neither quarterback Cade Klubnik (back) nor tight end Kenyon Sadiq (hernia surgery) was placed on an injury list to start training camp. Both rookies missed time due to injury in the spring but were expected to return for the summer. This essentially confirms that.

Jets injury update ahead of the start of training camp

The Jets' decision to place Sweat on the NFI list is at least worth noting because that designation is reserved for injuries sustained away from team activities, while the PUP list covers players recovering from football-related injuries.

The designation doesn't reveal when or how Sweat injured his hamstring, but it indicates the issue did not stem from an NFL practice, workout or game.

That said, from a roster standpoint, the active NFI and PUP lists function essentially the same during training camp. Players count against the 90-man roster, cannot practice while listed, and can be activated at any time before the season starts.

These are the active — not "reserve" — versions of the NFI and PUP lists, so none of the three players is automatically facing a lengthy absence. Teams commonly use the designations at the start of camp for players who are not yet cleared to practice, even when the expectation is that they will return relatively soon.

Once a player passes their physical and begins practicing, the Jets can remove them from the list immediately, though they cannot later be placed back on the active PUP list during the same training camp or preseason.

If any of the three remains sidelined when the Jets set their initial 53-man roster, the team would have to activate them, release them, or move them to the reserve version of the appropriate injury list.

A player moved to reserve PUP or reserve NFI would not count against the initial 53-man roster, but would be required to miss at least the opening portion of the regular season.

Sweat is expected to serve a key role in the Jets' defensive line rotation as the team's projected starting nose tackle, while Patrick was added to provide veteran depth to the wide receiver room. All indications are that neither will miss significant time due to injury.

Baron's injury, however, could be more notable, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Jets stash the former Miami standout on the injured reserve for the season. He appeared in just six games as a rookie and is likely on the outside of the roster bubble looking in entering the summer.

The Jets will hope to maintain their mostly clean bill of health throughout the summer and into the regular season. For now, these updates should likely be considered positive news.

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