Jets safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. 'week to week' with injuries

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FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — New York Jets safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and rookie wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. didn't practice Wednesday because of injuries and coach Aaron Glenn said they are “week to week.”

Fitzpatrick injured his groin early in the Jets' season-opening 23-10 win at Tennessee last Sunday. Cooper, a first-round draft pick, also left with an ankle injury after his 30-yard catch-and-run on New York's opening touchdown drive.

When asked if Fitzpatrick and Cooper are candidates for the injured reserve list, which would sideline them a minimum of four weeks, Glenn said: “Not as of now.”

Glenn added that edge rusher Joseph Ossai (foot) and running back/kick returner Kene Nwangwu (back), who both sat out at Tennessee, will also be evaluated on a week-to-week basis. Ossai, who suffered a ruptured plantar fascia in his left foot during the preseason finale against the Giants on Aug. 28, is “getting really, really close,” Glenn said.

Fitzpatrick, Cooper, Ossai and Nwagwu all sat out practice.

Rookie cornerback D'Angelo Ponds (calf) and linebacker Jamien Sherwood (knee) were limited, while cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. (shoulder) was a full participant.

With neither Fitzpatrick nor Cooper — both starters against the Titans — expected to play in the home opener Sunday against Green Bay, the Jets will need shuffle things a bit.

Dane Belton and Andre Cisco, who both filled in after Fitzpatrick and Brownlee went out with injuries, will see playing time in Fitzpatrick's absence.

“We have other experienced guys and that's the good thing about our team right now,” Glenn said. “Those guys have to step up. Cisco's played a lot of football in this league. I mean, he's been a damn good player in this league. Dane, we talked about how impressed I was at how he can come in and he can play basically the same role that Minkah had.”

The Jets also signed defensive back Jordan Clark, the son of former NFL safety Ryan Clark, to the active roster from the practice squad. The younger Clark had nine tackles in six games last season as an undrafted rookie.

With Cooper sidelined, New York signed veteran wide receivers Sterling Shepard — a former Giants star who played two seasons with Tampa Bay and was briefly in training camp this summer with Houston — and Tyler Johnson — who had 12 catches in 12 games last season for the Jets — to the practice squad.

Shepard and quarterback Geno Smith were teammates on the Giants in 2017.

“It was great to see Shep,” Smith said. “He and I, we live pretty close down in Florida and so we train together in the offseason. So, I know he’s going to be ready, he’s going to be in great shape and, yeah, it’s great to see an old teammate back in the locker room again.”

New York currently has Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell, Isaiah Williams and Arian Smith as healthy wide receivers on its active roster.

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