Jets Edge Jermaine Johnson II left Sunday's win over the Titans with an Achilles' injury. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the team believes Johnson tore the tendon. He's headed for an MRI to confirm.
2024 Fantasy Football Impact
The reported "beliefs" on such injuries are rarely disproved by the testing. So this almost certainly ends Johnson's season.
The 25-year-old looked like a player on the rise in his third season. Johnson ramped up his pressure stats across categories last year and earned the second-highest Pro Football Focus grade among Jets defenders.
Losing him especially hurts a Jets defense that's already going without Edge Haason Reddick, who has been holding out for a new contract since arriving in trade from the Eagles this offseason.
Losing Johnson leaves DT Quinnen Williams as the leading returning sacker, and he had just 5.5 in 2023.
Second-year Edge Will McDonald IV did rack up 3 sacks in Sunday's win over the Titans. So we'll see if the former first-round pick is ready to step up.
Dynasty Impact
This will be a challenging injury to return from, but the timing at least helps Johnson's chances of being ready for the start of 2025.
He should also find some encouragement in Dolphins Edge Jaelan Phillips returning from a torn Achilles' in Week 12 of last season to open this year on time.
Ultimately, Johnson's likely worth stashing in dynasty if he was worth having on your roster before the injury.