Jets Country

Jets' Duane Brown Could Miss Opener Against Ravens With Shoulder Injury

Jets offensive tackle Duane Brown is sitting out of practice with a shoulder injury and might miss Week 1 on Sunday, per head coach Robert Saleh.

Max Goodman

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Duane Brown, who was meant to be a savior on the Jets' offensive line, is now in danger of missing New York's opener against the Ravens on Sunday.

The veteran offensive tackle—signed a few weeks ago to replace an injured Mekhi Becton up front—missed practice on Wednesday, popping up on Gang Green's first injury report of the season with a shoulder injury.

The next day, Jets head coach Robert Saleh told reporters that Brown won't practice again on Thursday. 

Brown, 37, was already working in a time crunch, trying to get ready for Week 1. He was signed on a two-year deal a little under a month ago, ramping up in practice into the preseason. 

If Brown can't suit up this week against Baltimore, New York will be forced to promote one of their backups into a starting role. That means either Conor McDermott, a veteran that was recently re-signed for some additional depth, or rookie Max Mitchell, who hasn't taken an NFL snap yet. 

Perhaps the Jets will move George Fant—New York's starting right tackle—back to the left side in Brown's place. That likely depends on how long he'll be out. 

The rest of New York's offensive line is intact. Still, this situation could've been prevented if the Jets signed a swing tackle like they did last year in Morgan Moses, a decision that helped them avoid a disastrous scenario when Becton got hurt. Brown was picked up after Becton's latest injury with no other experienced and impactful depth behind him.

Moving forward with one of their backups for a few games isn't the end of the world. After all, that's what the Jets are doing at quarterback, using Joe Flacco in place of Zach Wilson (who is still working back from knee surgery). But if Brown's shoulder injury is serious, the Jets are going to be in serious trouble. 

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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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