Jets Country

Jets' Max Mitchell Did Not Suffer Season-Ending Injury

Finally some good news for the Jets as their banged-up offensive line catches a bit of a break.

Max Goodman

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The Jets suffered another blow on their offensive line on Sunday, but this time, it's not as serious of an injury as it initially appeared.

Rookie offensive tackle Max Mitchell was carted off the field in Pittsburgh with a knee injury, ruled out for the rest of the game before the Jets came back and defeated the Steelers. 

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Mitchell did not suffer a season-ending knee injury. The fourth-round pick has a dislocation and will miss several weeks, per Rapoport, but he'll be back "long before the end of the season."

Sure, it's a blow to lose Mitchell for an extended period. It hurts even more when you consider the Jets are already missing Mekhi Becton, Duane Brown and George Fant. But let's focus on the positives here for Gang Green.

Mitchell was off to a promising start in 2022, taking advantage of an opportunity in the face of adversity up front. Coaches and teammates have raved about his work behind the scenes in addition to his performance through the first three weeks of the season before his injury. 

Starting at right tackle, Mitchell has only allowed two sacks this year, per Pro Football Focus. That's pretty impressive for a tackle that had to go through the entire AFC North and their stellar pass rushers to begin his first season in the NFL.

Assuming Mitchell is able to return later this season, the Jets will have a chance to give him more playing time to prove he is a long-term answer at the position. The other question will be figuring out who starts at tackle once all of New York's injured lineman are healthy—the Jets have a lot of money invested in Brown and Fant, but Mitchell may be the future.

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Jets for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. He also covers the New York Yankees, publisher  of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Yankees site, Inside The Pinstripes. Before starting out with SI, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. While at school, Goodman gathered valuable experience as an anchor and reporter on NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. Goodman previously interned at MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman and connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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