The Jets took the first procedural step toward getting their first-round rookie receiver back on the field, opening Omar Cooper Jr.’s 21-day practice window on Wednesday as the team prepared for Sunday’s trip to New England.
What did the Jets do with Omar Cooper Jr.?
The Jets opened rookie receiver Omar Cooper Jr.’s 21-day practice window on Wednesday, October 14, the first step back from injured reserve after a high ankle sprain cost him four games. He was listed as a limited participant, an estimated level because the team held a walkthrough. No return date has been announced.
The move was disclosed on the Jets’ official Week 6 Wednesday injury report, which carried the headline that Cooper was a limited participant as the window opened. Our Jets injury tracker has the full set of designations.
What happened to Omar Cooper Jr.?
Cooper hurt the ankle in the season opener at Tennessee on September 13. The Jets placed him on injured reserve in September, and he has since missed four games — Weeks 2 through 5 against Green Bay, Detroit, Chicago and Cleveland. Four absences is exactly the minimum the league requires before a team may open the practice window of a player designated to return, which is why the window became available this week.
What have the Jets said about the injury?
The club has characterized it only as an ankle injury on its weekly reports; the high ankle sprain description comes from reporting on the opener, not a team announcement. Wednesday’s report listed Cooper as a limited participant, and the Jets noted the session was a walkthrough and participation levels are an estimation — so that designation is an estimate, not an observed workload.
Tight end Kenyon Sadiq, who left Sunday’s win in concussion protocol, was also listed as a limited participant with a concussion, again as an estimated level. Head coach Aaron Glenn said separately on Wednesday that Sadiq remains in the concussion protocol. Both statements stand on the record and we are not resolving them: the official designation is limited participation, the coach’s characterization is that the protocol is ongoing.
Receiver Adonai Mitchell, a non-participant with a finger injury, had what Glenn called “a small procedure” on his hand. Running back Breece Hall (quad) did not participate, and Glenn said he is being evaluated weekly.
What does the injured reserve process involve from here?
The mechanics are fixed by rule. A player designated to return must miss at least four games; his club may then open a 21-day practice window, during which he practices while still counting against injured reserve rather than the active roster. Within those 21 days he must be added to the 53-man roster or he reverts to season-ending injured reserve. We explain how NFL injured reserve works in more detail.
When is Omar Cooper Jr. expected back?
No timeline has been reported. The window opened Wednesday, October 14, putting the outside edge of the 21 days in early November — a stretch covering Sunday’s game at New England, the October 25 home game against Miami and the November 1 home game against Las Vegas. The Jets have not said which of those, if any, is the target, and opening a window is not the same as activating a player.
What does it change in the Jets’ receiver room?
It gives a thin group a possible addition rather than an immediate one. With Mitchell a non-participant again after missing three games, the Jets have been a rotation receiver short, and Cooper has not played since the opener. Nothing on Wednesday’s report changes the depth chart for Sunday; it changes what the roster could look like later this month. Cooper’s player page carries his background and college production.
Frequently asked questions
When will Omar Cooper Jr. return?
No return date has been reported. The Jets opened his 21-day practice window on Wednesday, October 14; he must be added to the 53-man roster inside that window or he reverts to season-ending injured reserve. Neither the club nor head coach Aaron Glenn has named a target game.
What is Omar Cooper Jr.’s injury?
The Jets have listed it as an ankle injury on their weekly reports. He was hurt in the season opener at Tennessee on September 13, and it is the injury that sent him to injured reserve.
Does opening the practice window mean Cooper Jr. will play at New England?
Not by itself. The window lets a player on injured reserve rejoin practice; he still has to be activated to the active roster before he can play. The Jets listed no game status designations on Wednesday’s report.
How many games has Omar Cooper Jr. missed?
Four, from Week 2 through Week 5. Four games is the minimum a player designated to return from injured reserve must miss before his club may open his practice window.
Was Cooper Jr. a full participant on Wednesday?
No. He was listed as a limited participant, and the club noted the Jets held a walkthrough that day, so the participation levels on that report are an estimation rather than observed practice reps.
What did the Jets say about Kenyon Sadiq?
Wednesday’s report listed Sadiq as a limited participant with a concussion, again an estimated level. Glenn said separately that Sadiq remains in the concussion protocol. The club has not announced that he has cleared it.