Jets Rookie TE Kenyon Sadiq to Miss ‘Couple of Weeks,’ Aaron Glenn Says Week 1 Still on Track
Kenyon Sadiq is still without a practice jersey, but the tone out of Florham Park just got noticeably lighter. New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn told reporters Thursday that the team’s first-round tight end will be sidelined “a couple of weeks” as he works back from a setback in his hernia surgery recovery — and that the injury won’t threaten his availability for the regular-season opener.
“We actually got pretty good news the other day,” Glenn said, according to NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk. “I’m just crossing my fingers, I’m going to say it’s a couple weeks still, but it’s not anything that’s going to keep him out of the regular season.”
It’s a meaningfully more detailed update than the one Glenn gave two days earlier, when he told media Sadiq had suffered “a little setback” and would be out “a little bit” without offering a firm timeline, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Now there’s a number attached, and it’s one the Jets can live with this early in camp.
What Actually Happened
Sadiq underwent hernia surgery in May and missed a chunk of the Jets’ offseason program as a result. He returned for the start of training camp in late July and looked the part for three days — working in early, taking reps as a legitimate target in 11-on-11 work. Then came a scheduled rest day that turned into something more.
Glenn explained the setback traces directly back to the surgical procedure itself. “When he got the surgery, I mean most guys they usually get both of them done,” Glenn said, referring to the standard practice of addressing both sides of a core muscle injury at once, according to the Jets’ official team site. “That’s how most doctors do it. Listen, I’m not real worried, but the thing is I want to make sure that I make the right decision on making sure I take care of him so he can be ready for the regular season.”
The Jets have since put Sadiq on what they’re calling a maintenance program, and CBS Sports reported the rookie will sit out the Jets’ preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Aug. 14 as a result.
The Bigger Picture in Florham Park
Sadiq wasn’t the only name Glenn addressed Thursday. He also gave positive updates on running back Isaiah Davis, who is dealing with a minor knee issue and expected out “maybe a couple of weeks,” and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds, working back from a calf injury, according to Heavy.com. Edge rusher JJ Enagbare is considered day-to-day with an ankle injury. None of it derails the bigger story, but it underscores how much injury management is shaping this camp for a Jets team that went 3-14 a season ago and is trying to build depth fast.
Sadiq’s absence matters more than a typical camp ding because of who he is in this offense. The 16th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Sadiq arrived from Oregon with a résumé few tight ends in the sport’s history can match — a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the combine, the fastest ever recorded by a tight end, breaking Vernon Davis’ 20-year-old mark of 4.40. He caught 51 passes for 560 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior, earning Big Ten Tight End of the Year honors and Second Team All-American recognition.
New offensive coordinator Frank Reich has talked about using multiple-tight-end sets to create mismatches, and Sadiq’s blend of size and speed made him a natural fit for that plan alongside quarterback Geno Smith. Every practice he misses is a rep he doesn’t get building chemistry in a new scheme with a new quarterback — which is why the “couple of weeks” framing, while good news relative to a worse outcome, still carries real stakes for how ready he looks in September.
| Player | Injury | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Kenyon Sadiq (TE) | Core muscle/hernia setback | Out “a couple of weeks,” on track for Week 1 |
| Isaiah Davis (RB) | Minor knee | Out “maybe a couple of weeks” |
| JJ Enagbare (EDGE) | Ankle | Day-to-day |
| D’Angelo Ponds (CB) | Calf | Nearing return, “next couple of weeks” |
What’s Next
The Jets have a deep tight end room to lean on in the meantime — Mason Taylor, Jeremy Ruckert and Jelani Woods are all healthy and getting the bulk of first-team reps. Taylor in particular is entering his second season after catching 44 passes for 369 yards as a rookie, and Glenn has praised him as a breakout candidate independent of Sadiq’s situation.
Still, all eyes stay on the calendar. If Glenn’s “couple of weeks” timeline holds, Sadiq would target a return to practice in mid-to-late August, giving him a stretch of joint practices and at least one preseason outing to shake off the rust before the Jets open the regular season on the road against the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 13.
