Head coach Aaron Glenn said Monday that Ponds (calf) is on track to play against the Titans in Week 1, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.
The rookie second-rounder missed all of training camp and did not play in any of the Jets' three preseason games due to a calf injury he sustained in late July. He is progressing in his recovery, and it appears Pond is trending toward making his NFL debut in Tennessee on Sunday, Sept. 13. The Indiana product will provide depth in the secondary behind Jarvis Brownlee, Brandon Stephens and Nahshon Wright (hip).
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Jets' D'Angelo Ponds: Not ready to come back yet
Rotowire
Ponds (calf) is not yet healthy enough to return to the practice field, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.
The rookie cornerback strained his calf in late July during a training camp practice, but Jets coach Aaron Glenn said then that the injury wasn't serious, per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Glenn told reporters Monday that Ponds should be back soon, per Rosenblatt. The second-round pick is expected to play a major role in New York's secondary.
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Jets' D'Angelo Ponds: Picked by Jets
Rotowire
The Jets selected Ponds in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 50th overall.
Ponds wasn't heavily recruited out of high school due to his 5-foot-8 size, and that might be an issue for him at the NFL level. However, he didn't let that lack of size get in the way of a successful three-year college career that culminated in a National College Championship victory in 2025 with Indiana. During that season, Ponds was selected to both the All-American Second-Team and All-Big Ten First-Team after logging 61 tackles, one forced fumble and 12 pass defenses (two interceptions) across 15 games. The Jets needed to address the outside cornerback position after trading Sauce Gardner (calf) to the Colts in November, and Ponds will compete for a starting job against the likes of Azareye'h Thomas (shoulder) and Qwan'tez Stiggers (knee).
