The Jets offense will be without running back Le’Veon Bell and rookie wide receiver Denzel Mims for at least three weeks.
The team placed both Bell and Mims on injured reserve Tuesday, as well as linebacker Blake Cashman. Bell suffered a left hamstring injury in Sunday’s 27-17 loss to the Bills. Bell came up grabbing his hamstring after being held on a pass route in the second quarter. He remained in the game but appeared to have no burst in the third quarter and was removed.
The Jets signed former Dolphins running back Kalen Ballage to provide some depth behind Frank Gore at running back. The Jets also have La’Mical Perine, who missed Sunday’s game with an ankle injury. It is unclear if Perine will be able to return this week. Josh Adams is also a candidate to come up off the practice squad like he did last week.
Bell, Mims and Cashman will now be out at least three weeks. Under new rules this year, teams are allowed to bring back an unlimited number of players from IR. They are eligible to return after missing three games. So, these three could come back for the Oct. 11 game against the Cardinals at the earliest.
Mims missed nearly all of training camp with a hamstring injury. He returned to practice two weeks ago, but then injured the other hamstring last Thursday and was inactive for the Bills game. Breshad Perriman, Jamison Crowder, Chris Hogan and Braxton Berrios are the only receivers on the Jets’ roster right now. They could elevate Josh Malone off the practice squad again like they did last week.
Cashman injured his groin after three plays Sunday. The Jets have Neville Hewitt and Harvey Langi as their only healthy inside linebackers. Avery Williamson missed Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury.
Ballage joins the Jets three weeks after the team acquired him in a trade from Miami that was reversed when he failed his physical. Jets coach Adam Gase coached Ballage in 2018 with the Dolphins.
Bell had six carries for 14 yards, with a long of 7, before exiting the game. He also caught 2 passes for 32 yards, including a 30-yarder that jump-started a two-minute drive from at the end of the first half.
Bell had a hamstring issue during training camp that led to a Twitter brushfire when he said his hamstrings were fine after coach Adam Gase said Bell was removed from a scrimmage by the trainers because of tightness in his hamstrings. The two ironed things out shortly after Bell’s Twitter outburst, but you have to wonder if Gase had that in the back of his mind when he left Bell in the game on Sunday, a move Gase later said he regretted.
Bell rushed for a disappointing 789 yards and scored four touchdowns in 2019, his first season after signing a four-year, $52.5 million contract with the Jets.
