Out for at least four games
The New York Jets have placed Omar Cooper Jr. on injured reserve. NFL Network reported the move on Saturday. The receiver did not take part in any practice this week after being bothered by an ankle injury.
Going on injured reserve means he must miss a minimum of four games. For a rookie who has played only one pro game, it is a brutal early blow. He cannot return until Week 5 at the earliest.
Cooper was hurt right away. He left the field in the first quarter of the opener after just five offensive snaps. His only target turned into a 30-yard catch. Even so, New York still won 23-10 at Tennessee.
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A rookie carrying real weight
The 22-year-old was no throwaway pick. The Jets took him at No. 30 in April’s draft, late in the first round. It was an investment aimed at adding some much-needed depth to a thin receiver room.
His final college season explained the hype. Cooper posted 69 catches, 937 yards and 13 touchdowns in 16 games at Indiana. The Hoosiers finished unbeaten and took the national title.
Going from that to a wrapped-up ankle after five snaps changes the shape of his first year. Four weeks out of a 17-game schedule is nearly a quarter of the regular season gone.
What the New York offense loses
Geno Smith had it going in Week 1. The quarterback threw for 215 yards and posted a 91.3% completion rate, the second-best mark in the league among qualified players in Week 1.
Breece Hall ran for 102 yards in the same game without losing a single yard behind the line. That matters when you remember he was stopped for a loss 33 times in 2025, the third-worst total in the NFL.
Cooper’s absence only increases the Jets’ reliance on the run. Smith will have to get by with a trimmed-down receiver group for at least a month.
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