Injured Jets Starter Back for Colts Game; Massive Boost

The New York Jets are getting healthier.

Gang Green announced on social media that veteran safety Chuck Clark has been “activated” to the active roster. He was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday, October 15 due to an ankle injury.

ESPN’s Rich Cimini said Clark “is likely” to start for the Jets at safety in Week 11 against the Indianapolis Colts.

Clark Is Exactly What the Jets Defense Has Been Missing

The Jets were embarrassed in Week 10 by the Arizona Cardinals. There is no way to sugarcoat it.

New York has allowed 1,340 rushing yards through the first 10 weeks of the season. That is seventh most in the NFL, per ESPN. Gang Green is coming off of a game in which they missed 20 tackles.

Clark should help alleviate some of those issues. He has appeared and made six starts for the Jets this season. In those games, Clark has registered 32 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a tackle for loss.

“Clark offers outstanding reliability as a tackler. Over his three seasons as a full-time starter (2020-22), Clark missed just 21 tackles across 49 starts,” Michael Nania of Jets X-Factor explained in June of 2024. “Among the 64 safeties who played at least 1,500 defensive snaps from 2020 to 2022, Clark had the ninth-lowest missed tackle rate at 7.3%.”

Those attributes will be important after the Colts made a quarterback change this week. It was supposed to be another Joe Flacco versus Jets revenge game. However, Indy had a change of heart and decided to go back to Anthony Richardson.

Flacco is a statuesque pocket passer with minimal mobility and Richardson is a true dual-threat weapon.

Richardson lacks some qualities as a passer with a 44.4% completion percentage, has thrown more interceptions (seven) than passing touchdowns (four), and has a terrible quarterback rating (57.2).

However, what he lacks as a passer he makes up for with his rushing ability. On the season, Richardson has 242 rushing yards and is averaging 5.9 yards per rush. He is a mammoth-sized prospect at 6-foot-4 and tipping the scales at 244 pounds.

Jets Are Leaving the Door Open to Get Got Again…

Another move the Jets made ahead of the Colts game was elevating kicker Anders Carlson from the practice squad.

Carlson will be the starter versus the Colts, but after the game, he will revert back to the practice squad.

The Jets don’t have a kicker currently on the 53-man roster. Last week the Jets elevated Spencer Shrader from the practice squad but because they didn’t sign him to the active roster he was vulnerable to being stolen by another team.

That is exactly what happened this week when the Kansas City Chiefs poached him off of the Jets’ practice squad after he had a good game. With the Jets not signing Carlson to the 53-man roster, they are opening themselves up to getting got again.

If Carlson has a good game, another team could attempt to steal him off of the practice squad heading into Week 12. That would leave the Jets with zip and pip options at kicker.

Paul Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he co-hosts Cumulus Media’s morning show, “The Manchild Show with Boy Green.” Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.