National Football League

With injuries taking a toll, will Zach Wilson be able to lift the Jets as a rookie?

Published Aug. 20, 2021 11:58 a.m. ET

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The NFL season hasn't officially begun, but some teams are already finding themselves limping toward Week 1.

The New York Jets might be at the top of that list.

Fresh off selecting Zach Wilson with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Jets were hoping this season could be the start of a turnaround for a franchise that hasn't experienced a winning season since 2015 and has won 23 total games the past five seasons.

But now they will face an uphill battle in 2021, having lost their prized free-agent signing before they could even get out of the preseason. That player is defensive end Carl Lawson, who suffered a torn Achilles on Thursday in a joint practice with the Green Bay Packers.

Lawson signed a three-year, $45 million deal in the offseason, including $30 million in guaranteed money. It was a big signing that the Jets were very proud of, as they landed the player rated the third-best pass-rusher on the free-agent market by Pro Football Focus, behind only Shaquil Barrett and J.J. Watt.

Lawson, 26, had 5.5 sacks and 32 QB hits for the Cincinnati Bengals last season and was expected to have a similar impact for the Jets in 2021. Instead, New York will have to wait another season to potentially see a return on that investment.

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Worse, Lawson's wasn't the only major injury the Jets endured in that practice, as safety Zane Lewis suffered a torn patella tendon and sprained MCL and will also miss the season.

On top of that, wide receiver Denzel Mims is day-to-day after leaving the field with a hip injury. Mims managed to play only nine games for the Jets last season but had shown flashes of being a weapon in the passing game early in the preseason.

With the injuries mounting at key spots for a team looking to get back to winning, Colin Cowherd said he worries about the impact all this could have on Wilson.

On "The Herd," he discussed how the young quarterback might have to win despite his franchise's ineptitude and misfortunes.

"He has the fourth-best coach in his division. That's not good," Cowherd said. "He has the fourth-best roster in his division. That's not good."

Wilson and the Jets have their work cut out for them this season, with the injuries mounting and adversity striking.

If all this proves costly, the Jets could struggle to get off the ground.

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National Football League

New York Jets

Zach Wilson

Carl Lawson

Denzel Mims