The New York Jets have lost one of their most valuable defensive players for the season. The team has officially ruled pass rusher Carl Lawson and safety Zane Lewis out for the entire 2021 season after the two were injured during Thursday's joint practice session with the Green Bay Packers. Lawson suffered a torn Achilles, while Lewis tore his patella tendon and suffered a sprained MCL..
Lawson, who spent the first four years of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals, signed a three-year, $45 million contract with the Jets this offseason. He's coming off a 5.5-sack season as a part-time starter and rotational defensive end, having played a career-high 68% of the Bengals' defensive snaps. He was expected to be the top edge rusher for new head coach Robert Saleh's defensive line in New York. The 26-year-old former fourth-round pick has had injury issues before, having been limited to just 19 total games during the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
The Jets will be perilously thin on the edge with Lawson out. He was expected to take on a larger role than he had ever played in Cincinnati. New York's defense did not receive the same type of talent injection this offseason as did the offense, and with the team's top acquisition now out, it may struggle to show improvement over last year's defensive results.
