The Jets wrapped up their joint practices with the Giants on Wednesday morning in East Rutherford, but their best player wasn’t on the field.
Cornerback Sauce Gardner missed practice and Jets coach Aaron Glenn explained why.
“Sauce wasn’t out [there] ... he had some calf soreness,” Glenn said immediately after practice. “We need to evaluate him and see exactly where he’s at.”
Glenn did not offer any additional information on Gardner’s situation. And there likely won’t be an update until the next time Glenn is expected to meet with the media: after Saturday night’s preseason game with the Giants.
It’s certainly not an ideal situation, with Gardner missing a key practice in the middle of training camp. But with the amount of information we have, and more than three weeks before the start of the regular season, it’s far too early to be overly concerned.
Gardner participated in Tuesday’s joint practice in Florham Park and was on the field for the entire session without any notable hindrance. But when the teams took the field near MetLife Stadium a little less than 24 hours later, Gardner wasn’t with them.
The fourth-year pro, who was drafted No. 4 overall by the Jets in 2022, quickly became one of the best cornerbacks in the league, earning first-team, All-Pro honors in his first two seasons. Less than a month ago, he signed a lucrative extension (a four-year, $120.4 million deal) to make him the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback in terms of annual value.
Also of note:
∗The Jets were without two other defensive starters on Wednesday against the Giants: Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, who is easing back into practice this week after missing more than a week with a calf strain.
And edge rusher Jermaine Johnson, who was activated off PUP this week, 11 months after suffering a torn Achilles. Johnson continues to work in individual drills but has yet to participate in team drills. Glenn said he’s on track to play Week 1, but wouldn’t reveal his timetable for getting Johnson back in team drills.
∗Glenn wouldn’t say if he plans to play the starters in Saturday’s game against the Giants, nor would he reveal how much they’ll play or how he’ll decide on how long to keep them in the game. The offensive starters played a series in the preseason opener against the Packers and the defensive starters played two short series.
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Andy Vasquez may be reached atavasquez@njadvancemedia.com.
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