The Jets went into Saturday with two players ruled out of their Week 9 trip to Kansas City and came out of it with five. Edge Joseph Ossai, cornerback Nahshon Wright and safety VJ Payne were all downgraded from questionable to out roughly a day before kickoff, joining receiver Garrett Wilson and linebacker Trevin Wallace. Every current designation is tracked on the Jets injury hub.
Joseph Ossai is out for Week 9 at Kansas City with an ankle injury, a fourth straight game missed. The Jets downgraded him from questionable on Saturday, along with Nahshon Wright and VJ Payne. No return date has been reported for any of the three.
Is Joseph Ossai playing against the Chiefs?
No — Ossai has been ruled out. He practiced on a limited basis Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and carried a questionable tag on the Jets’ official Week 9 injury report, then was downgraded a day later; the NFL’s league-wide Week 9 report now lists him as out. Kickoff is Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS, with the matchup broken down in our Week 9 preview.
What happened to Joseph Ossai?
Nothing new happened on the field. Ossai has not played since October, and Saturday’s move reflects a week of limited practice rather than a fresh injury. Brian Costello of the New York Post reported that the Jets ruled him out after those three limited sessions, which is the only account of the timing. The club has not said whether he suffered a setback or simply fell short of a workload the staff was comfortable with. It is his fourth consecutive absence, and he also missed the season’s first two games.
What has the team said about the injury?
Very little. The official Week 9 report lists the injury as an ankle, and no coach or club statement has characterized its severity. Costello describes the two games Ossai missed in September as a foot injury, while our September reporting identified a ruptured plantar fascia; the Jets have not reconciled the two descriptions. Asked about his season, Ossai called it extremely frustrating and added, “I’m just focused on working through the process, one step at a time.”
What does the recovery involve?
The Jets have not described a procedure or a rehab plan, and nothing they have said suggests surgery. Ossai remains on the 53-man roster, which matters: he has not been placed on injured reserve, so none of the four-game minimum or 21-day practice-window mechanics explained in our guide to NFL injured reserve apply to him. He is week-to-week on the active roster, cleared to practice but not to play.
When is Joseph Ossai expected back?
No timeline has been reported. Neither the Jets nor head coach Aaron Glenn has named a target week. The next meaningful marker is Wednesday’s first official practice report ahead of the Week 10 home game against Buffalo on November 15. If Ossai moves from limited to full on that report he has a path back; another limited week points to a repeat of Saturday.
What does this change on the Jets’ depth chart?
On the edge, little the Jets have not already absorbed. Ossai’s snaps have gone elsewhere for three weeks, and David Bailey carries no designation on the Week 9 report, so the rotation that covered the absence stays intact. The secondary is the thinner story: Wright and Payne come out of a defensive back group already missing players, and the Jets elevated no defensive back to cover it, promoting offensive lineman Brant Banks and linebacker Troy Reeder from the practice squad instead. Harrison Phillips is the only Jet still listed as questionable.
Why were Nahshon Wright and VJ Payne downgraded?
The Jets have not explained either move. Wright is listed with a back injury; the club left his Wednesday and Thursday participation blank on the official document and recorded him as a non-participant Friday, so the blanks in the public record are the club’s own. Payne is the more striking case, because he practiced fully all three days. The Jets designated the rookie safety to return from reserve/injured on November 4, opening a 21-day window running into late November; within it he must be added to the active roster or he reverts to season-ending injured reserve. Wilson’s concussion, covered in our report on his Week 9 absence, remains the only one of the five absences the Jets have discussed at length.
Frequently asked questions
When will Joseph Ossai return?
No return date has been reported. The Jets have not put a timeline on the ankle injury. The next marker is Wednesday’s practice report ahead of Week 10 against Buffalo on November 15.
What is Joseph Ossai’s injury?
An ankle injury, per the Jets’ official Week 9 report. The club has not described its severity. The foot problem that cost him the season’s first two games is listed separately from this ankle.
Why was Joseph Ossai ruled out after being listed as questionable?
The Jets downgraded him on Saturday, roughly a day before kickoff, after three limited practices. No team statement accompanied the change; Brian Costello of the New York Post reported the timing.
Is VJ Payne back from injured reserve?
Not yet. The Jets designated him to return to practice on November 4 and he practiced fully all week, but he was ruled out of Week 9. He must be added to the active roster inside a 21-day window or revert to season-ending injured reserve.
Who is out for the Jets in Week 9?
Five players: Garrett Wilson (concussion), Trevin Wallace (groin), Joseph Ossai (ankle), Nahshon Wright (back) and VJ Payne (knee). Defensive lineman Harrison Phillips is questionable.
Who replaces Joseph Ossai on the edge?
The Jets have not named a replacement. David Bailey carries no injury designation on the Week 9 report, and the rotation has covered Ossai’s snaps for three weeks.