FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The New York Jets have announced that kicker Greg Zuerlein will come off injured reserve and is set to play against the Buffalo Bills this Sunday. Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich confirmed on Friday that Zuerlein, who has been sidelined for seven games due to a knee injury affecting his left, non-kicking leg, is making a return. Prior to his injury, Zuerlein had been struggling with his performance, prompting the Jets to rotate through Riley Patterson, Spencer Shrader, and Anders Carlson in the kicking role.
Ulbrich expressed confidence in Zuerlein’s readiness, stating, “He came back, looked healthy, kicked the ball well this week. So, he’ll be our guy going forward here.” Even though Zuerlein is officially labeled as questionable, he participated fully in the last two practices, suggesting a strong possibility of his return to action.
Wide receiver Davante Adams is also listed as questionable but is likely to play after he was limited in practice on Friday due to a hip issue that caused him to miss Thursday’s session. Since being acquired from Las Vegas in October, Adams has recorded 56 receptions for 719 yards and six touchdowns on 94 targets throughout nine games with the Jets. He is just 72 yards shy of achieving his fifth consecutive season with over 1,000 receiving yards, which would mark the sixth of his career. Adams commented, “I think at this point, it would be a crying shame to not be able to get that.”
Additionally, Adams is tied with Miami’s Dan Marino and Mark Clayton for the third-most touchdown connections (82, including playoffs) by a quarterback-wide receiver duo. His teammate Aaron Rodgers is seeking his 500th touchdown pass in the regular season, a milestone Adams would be thrilled to contribute to. “I got 200, I got 400. So it would be dope to get 500 as well. I think his 200th was my first, so we got some special connections in the past, so it’d be great,” he said.
Although Adams sustained an injury early during the Jets’ game against the Rams, he still managed to secure seven receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown. He remains hopeful about being fit to face the Bills this weekend. “We’re still working on it,” he noted. “We’re treating it, trying to get it right so we can hopefully be there and ready by game time.”
Defensive back Sauce Gardner is also questionable for the game due to a hamstring injury sustained during the second half against the Rams. Zuerlein, after re-signing with the Jets last offseason on a two-year contract, had struggled before his injury, making only nine of his 15 field goal attempts and missing one extra point in the season’s first eight games. In the previous two seasons, he had been known as one of the most reliable kickers in the league.
After Zuerlein’s placement on injured reserve, Patterson stepped in for one game, while Shrader briefly held the kicking role before being signed by Kansas City off the practice squad. Carlson filled in as the kicker for the last five games but faced difficulties, missing both a field goal and an extra point against the Rams. Subsequently, the Jets added Greg Joseph to the practice squad to create competition.
Ulbrich had earlier indicated that Zuerlein would compete for the kicking position upon returning. “I think sometimes that can be powerful, an opportunity just to take a deep breath, get his body healthy again and get a restart,” Ulbrich expressed. “So I’m excited for him to do his thing these last two games and really demonstrate to everybody who he is as a kicker.”
Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams has the potential to return after sitting out last week due to a hamstring injury; he has been limited in practice this week and is also listed as questionable. Other players who are deemed questionable, but expected to participate, include right tackle Morgan Moses (knee), safety Tony Adams (ankle), cornerback Michael Carter II (back), defensive end Haason Reddick (neck), and defensive lineman Braiden McGregor (ankle). On the other hand, defensive tackle Leki Fotu has been ruled out for the game due to a knee injury.
