Injury thins Jets’ defensive line and could help holdout Haason Reddick’s bid for a new deal

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — New York Jets coach Robert Saleh says it appears pass rusher Jermaine Johnson tore his right Achilles tendon with tests coming Monday.

“It doesn’t look good,” Saleh said after New York’s 24-17 victory Sunday over the Tennessee Titans.

Now the Jets have to decide if Will McDonald IV’s three-sack performance along with a forced fumble gives them enough confidence to stand firm in its negotiations with Haason Reddick.

The Jets finished with four sacks, but Johnson had to be carted off the field late in the third quarter.

Saleh called the defensive line the heartbeat of the Jets (1-1).

“We go as they go, and they just kept fighting,” Saleh said. “Will McDonald was unbelievable. And credit to that quarterback (Will Levis). He got out of some stuff that was — I thought he was dead for rights. Again, we fought, kept swinging.”

Reddick, who has 58 career sacks over seven NFL seasons, has been locked in a contract holdout with the Jets and sat out during the offseason and training camp. He’s the lone NFL player still holding out and is looking at about $8 million lost in fines and game checks combined with missed bonuses.

The edge rusher, who turns 30 on Sept. 22, asked to be traded Aug. 12. General manager Joe Douglas nixed that then, saying New York would not grant his wish to be dealt.

Johnson was a first-round pick in 2022 at No. 26 overall out of Florida State, and he had 10 sacks combined over his first two seasons.

He was looking for his first this season chasing Levis, who scrambled up the middle for a 21-yard gain. Johnson went down without any contact with 4:22 left in the third. A cart came out quickly as teammates gathered around Johnson as he was loaded up and taken to the locker room.

Saleh said nobody wants to see a teammate go down.

“The resilience of the guys to put it to the side for the last quarter and do what we needed to do,” Saleh said. “We’ll pray for a miracle in regards to whatever we see, but we love the man and it was good for the guys to respond.”

The Jets lost Aaron Rodgers to a torn Achilles tendon four snaps into his 19th NFL season last year. Rodgers saw the injury update for Johnson on the video board and said his heart dropped knowing what the lineman will be facing.

“We briefly talked,” Rodgers said of Johnson. “I just hugged him, told him I loved him and told him I was sorry. He’s handling it a lot better than I did so far but, yeah, it’s going to be a big loss for us.”

The Titans scored two plays later to tie it at 17, but wouldn’t score again despite a Jets defense that came in with starting cornerback D.J. Reed inactive with an injured knee. Starting linebacker C.J. Mosley hurt a toe seconds into the second quarter and never returned.

Saleh said he hopes Mosley will be available for their next game Thursday night when the Jets host New England (1-1) in their home opener.

McDonald got his third sack on third-and-goal with 23 seconds left. Solomon Thomas had the other sack. Jets safety Tony Adams also helped clinch the win breaking up a pass by Levis to Tyler Boyd on fourth down.

Even if the Jets decide it’s time to make a deal with Reddick, they likely couldn’t get him on the field in time for their next game. The best target might be Sept. 29 when New York hosts Denver.

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