As the New York Jets and Green Bay Packers continued their joint practices leading up to Saturday’s game, silence fell over the entire practice field. Carl Lawson has suffered an achilles injury, one that will sideline him for the entire 2021 season.
Lawson, who signed a 3 year, $45 million contract this offseason, does have a bit of an injury history, including two torn ACLs and miscellaneous soft tissue injuries. The torn ACL injuries were in 2014 when he was at Auburn, and in 2018, when he was with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Lawson was figured to be one of the focal points of the Jets defense in 2021, so losing him is major. The Jets will have to call on some young players to fill the void. And what a big void to fill.
Players like Bryce Huff and John Franklin-Myers will have to step up big time. Both players have shown potential, Franklin-Myers in 2020 with a quietly impressive season, and Huff with an impressive preseason opener. Franklin-Myers is already on most people’s radar, but Bryce Huff was almost entirely an unknown before the Snoopy Bowl this past Saturday. Huff finished with 2 sacks, be it against backup New York Giants linemen.
While the Jets were likely not in playoff contention, it is always tough to watch a guy that is widely beloved to go down like this. His potential in this new scheme is infinite, but fans will have to wait another year to see it. Hopefully a speedy recovery is in store, and Lawson can destroy opposing offensive tackles for years to come.
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