(TNS) Gang Green will be without one of its stars for at least the next month.
Jets linebacker and Murray State Hall of Famer Quincy Williams has been placed on injured reserve.
That means Williams will miss at least the Jets’ next four games: against the Dolphins, Cowboys, Broncos in London, and Panthers.
In a corresponding move, the Jets have signed linebacker Mark Robinson off the Patriots’ practice squad. They also placed linebacker and special teams captain Marcelino McCrary-Ball on injured reserve after he injured his hamstring against Tampa Bay.
During Sunday’s 29-27 heartbreaking loss against the Buccaneers, Williams injured his shoulder before halftime and did not return. He registered four tackles and a half-sack before the injury.
Aaron Glenn’s squad erased a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter, capped by Will McDonald’s blocked field goal attempt and 50-yard touchdown return, which gave the Jets a 27-26 lead with 1:49 remaining. But Baker Mayfield led the Bucs right down the field, which set up Chase McLaughlin’s 36-yard game-winning field goal at the buzzer.
Williams’ injury isn’t expected to be season-ending, but it will put further stress on a Jets defense that has shockingly been one of the worst units in the league. They are tied for 29th in points (31) and 22nd in yards allowed (340.3). This comes after three consecutive seasons (2022-24) in which the Jets ranked in the top five in yards allowed.
After consistently missing tackles, being out of position and failing to register a takeaway, the Jets’ defense is one of the main reasons the team is 0-3. The Jets are one of three teams (Dolphins and Commanders are the others) who do not have a takeaway through three games.
Gang Green is playing in a new defensive scheme under Glenn and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. The Jets’ defense returned eight starters and had high expectations after their performance in the previous three seasons.
Robinson was originally a 2022 seventh-round pick of the Steelers. While in Pittsburgh, he appeared in 38 regular-season games and registered 45 tackles, a sack and three forced fumbles.
In a separate move, the Jets acquired cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. and a 2026 seventh-round pick from the Titans in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick. Tennessee selected Brownlee, 24, in the fifth round out of Louisville in 2024, and he started 16 games over the last two seasons for the Titans and has two career interceptions and 92 tackles.
That includes the first two games this season in which Brownlee started. He has recorded 17 tackles and one pass defended.
This past Sunday against the Colts, Brownlee sat out due to an ankle injury.