New York Jets Iron Men: Hidden strength in a violent world

FLORHAM PARK, NEW JERSEY - JULY 29: Will McDonald IV #9 of the New York Jets, Demario Davis #56 of the New York Jets and Jowon Briggs #91 of the New York Jets during training camp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center on July 29, 2026 in Florham Park, New Jersey. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The New York Jets face a second half schedule in 2026 that, at least on paper, looks formidable. The last nine games of the season the Jets face the Kansas City Chiefs, the Buffalo Bills (twice), the Los Angeles Chargers, the Miami Dolphins, the Denver Broncos, the Arizona Cardinals, the New England Patriots, and the Minnesota Vikings. On paper, that looks like four games against legitimate Super Bowl contenders (the Bills twice, the Patriots and the Broncos) and another three teams that could contend for playoff spots (the Chargers, Chiefs and Vikings). Even the two games against what look like bad teams (Dolphins and Cardinals) are both on the road. That looks like a tough way to end a season, with the caveat that every season brings plenty of surprises, so we don't really know for sure how easy or difficult any schedule will be before the season begins.

The NFL is a violent world. As the saying goes, over the course of a season the injury rate in the NFL is 100%. That is exaggerating things a bit, but injuries are the rule, not the exception. Often the battle for playoff spots down the stretch comes down to a war of attrition, favoring the teams that are the healthiest. A team that looks like a shoo-in for a deep postseason run can collapse down the stretch due to injuries.

Long time Jets fans are familiar with this phenomenon. In 1986 the Jets were riding high at 10-1, looking like a legitimate Super Bowl contender, when it all came crashing down. Injuries crushed the team that year. Joe Klecko missed five games, Marty Lyons missed four and Mark Gastineau missed six. That's virtually the Jets entire pass rush, wiped out by injuries. Star linebacker Lance Mehl missed eight games and starting cornerback Russell Carter missed three. On the offense, Freeman McNeil, arguably the most talented Jets running back ever, missed four games and running mate Johnny Hector missed three, while starting right tackle Reggie McElroy missed eight games. The Jets were playing a bunch of backups down the stretch and it showed. After looking like the number one seed through 11 games, the Jets limped into the playoffs, losing their last five games of the regular season. They managed to secure a wild card spot but lost to the Cleveland Browns in the divisional round.

If head coach Aaron Glenn is fighting for his job this season, the back stretch looks like it could spell trouble for him. However, Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey have seemingly built in a hidden strength for this team that could, in theory, even the odds a bit. Over the past year the Jets front office has seemingly prioritized acquiring players with the one trait that is often called the best ability: availability.

Looking at the Jets 2026 draft, the Jets selected eight players. None of the eight missed more than one game over the last two years. All eight missed a total of just three games combined over the last two years. That's a remarkable collective record of durability.

In addition to the rookies, the Jets also have a large number of veterans who have made themselves available at a high rate in their careers. On offense, Geno Smith missed a total of four games over the last four years. Joe Tippmann: one game in three years. Josh Myers: one game in four years. Olu Fashanu: two games in two years. Armand Membou: zero games. Dylan Parham: four games in four years. That's a remarkably durable starting offensive line, a very good thing to have for an offense.

Breece Hall has missed a total of two games over the last three years and Isaiah Davis has missed one game in two years. Garrett Wilson had a major injury last year, but he had never missed a game in the prior three years combined. Adonai Mitchell missed one game over the last two years.

On defense it's more of the same. Brandon Stephens missed four games in five years. Jamien Sherwood has not missed a game over the last four years. Demario Davis remarkably has never missed more than one game in any season over a 14 year career. Just call him Iron Man. Kingsley Enagbare has never missed a game in his career. Dane Belton has missed zero games over the last three years. Will McDonald has missed just two games over the last two years. David Onyemata missed three games in the last four years. Harrison Phillips missed zero games over the last four years.

There is one key exception to this group of players who are almost always available: Minkah Fitzpatrick. He missed 10 games over the last three years. If Fitzpatrick were to go down for any length of time in 2026, the back end of the Jets defense would be in a world of trouble.

There is a large element of random chance to injuries in the NFL. The knee that is caught up in traffic and bent at an unnatural angle and the ankle that is rolled up on don't care if the player they are attached to has a pristine track record. However, to the extent that some players are less prone to serious injuries than others, the Jets appear to have intentionally built a roster of players who are unusually available. If availability is indeed the best ability, the Jets may find themselves in the back half of the schedule in the enviable position of being near full strength, facing squads that are ravaged by injury. Should that happen, we may find a surprisingly competitive Jets team giving seemingly superior rivals all they can handle. We'll see how this plays out, but maybe, just maybe, the Jets surprise everyone and go on a run to end this season.