One Game In, the Jets Are Already Calling Up the Practice Squad

Omar Cooper Jr. went down in the opening quarter of Week 1, and by the time the Jets had processed what that meant for their depth, they were activating a practice-squad receiver to fill the gap. That's a fast turnaround for a secondary overhaul that was supposed to be the foundation of the 2026 reset.

The fragility here isn't new. I've been tracking this back end since before the season started — Sauce Gardner gone in July, Jamal Adams out the door to Minnesota shortly after, Qwan'tez Stiggers spending time in a hospital in August before clearing active status in early September. Minkah Fitzpatrick is currently listed out. The roster the Jets assembled to replace one of the NFL's better secondaries was always thin; it just didn't take long for that thinness to show.

What makes the Cooper situation sting is the timing. Week 1, first quarter. The Jets hadn't even settled into the season before they were reaching down the depth chart. Jarvis Brownlee Jr. is active, and Stiggers is available after his preseason scare, but the margin for error in this secondary was already slim. Aaron Glenn is coaching a roster that has absorbed injuries at every level since training camp, and the organizational patience around him — already thin heading into the opener — doesn't leave much room for this kind of early turbulence.