The New York Jets placed rookie wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. on injured reserve Saturday with an ankle injury. The move sidelines the first-round pick for at least four games.
Cooper suffered a high ankle sprain, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reported. The expectation is that he will be back shortly after the four-game minimum.
He was hurt in his NFL debut, the Jets’ 23-10 win at Tennessee.
Cooper started and played the opening series. His 30-yard catch-and-run on third down set up the Jets’ first touchdown of the season. It was his only catch.
The Jets drafted him 30th overall in April, the third of their three first-round picks. He starred at Indiana.
New York had already ruled him out for Sunday’s home opener against the Green Bay Packers.
Without him, the receiver group is Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell, Isaiah Williams and Arian Smith. The Jets did not elevate a receiver, and Rosenblatt expects tight end Kenyon Sadiq to take on a big role.
The Jets also elevated kicker Jason Sanders from the practice squad for the second straight week, as coach Aaron Glenn said Friday they would.
Sanders won the job over Blake Grupe. His Jets debut was eventful.
He made a 33-yard field goal in the second quarter at Tennessee, then badly missed a 54-yard attempt. He came back to make kicks of 51 and 52 yards and converted both extra points.
Glenn liked the response.
“I thought it was critical to see him go through that miss and then be able to come back and make [two kicks from 50-plus yards], which I thought was impressive,” Glenn said.
That was Sanders’ first NFL game since 2024. He missed the 2025 season with a hip injury.
Before that, he spent eight seasons with the Miami Dolphins after they drafted him out of New Mexico.
Linebacker Troy Reeder was also elevated. The veteran spent the last three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and has 298 career tackles, five sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles in seven NFL seasons.
The Jets can open Cooper’s practice window after four games. They would then have 21 days to activate him or leave him on IR for the rest of the season.
Should the recovery hold to Rosenblatt’s reporting, Cooper would be in line to return shortly after the Jets’ four-game minimum ends. New York is 1-0 and faces Green Bay on Sunday.
