The Jets’ defense will get a key contributor back against the Broncos on Sunday.
Pass rusher Jermaine Johnson, who missed the previous three weeks due to an ankle injury, will play against Denver in London.
Gang Green is the lone winless team (0-5) in the NFL this season and is looking for anything to spark a defense that has had trouble stopping anyone.
“Just a little tweak of the ankle, but I just want to make sure it is not tied to anything else,” Johnson said about his injury. “Make sure everything is done the right way because an Achilles injury can definitely come back real fast, playing a lot. Just want to make sure everything is good.”
The Jets pass rush could use Johnson back in a significant way. They have the third-fewest sacks in the league through five games (seven). Four of those came during the Week 1 loss against the Steelers.
During last weekend’s loss to the Cowboys, the Jets recorded just one sack against a Dallas offensive line that was missing four of its starters. The lone sack came when Dak Prescott gave up on a slide to keep the clock moving during the fourth quarter.
Johnson hasn’t played a lot of football over the past 12 months. Last season in Week 2, he tore his Achilles and missed the rest of the season.
In two games this season, Johnson has seven tackles.
The Jets’ defense has been one of the worst units in the NFL this season, after being among the best in the previous three seasons. The Jets currently are 22nd in yards (347.4) and 31st in points allowed per game (31.4).
With defensive coordinator Steve Wilks coming under fire for their performance, Jets players held a players-only meeting this week before leaving for London.
“Just taking full accountability,” Johnson said. “We have to be better. We can’t be the reason we lose.
“We have too much talent. Coach AG [Aaron Glenn] has had our back in terms of how we run this thing, instilling a certain culture in here, and we gotta have his back out there by putting a good product out there. That’s our job, so we definitely took full accountability and we were just talking about what we need to do differently heading into this week.”
In addition to Johnson returning, running back and returner Kene Nwangwu (hamstring) will also play against the Broncos after missing four games. Since his Week 1 injury, the Jets have used four returners, and two of them, Isaiah Williams and Xavier Gipson, were both released.
Cornerback Brandon Stephens was added to the injury report on Friday due to a neck injury and is listed as questionable.
