New York Jets Carl Lawson suffers potentially season-ending injury

New York Jets pass rusher Carl Lawson went down during a joint practice with the Green Bay Packers with what appears to be an Achilles injury.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Lawson “suffered a lower leg at practice today and he’s having an MRI on his Achilles.”

#Jets pass-rusher Carl Lawson, one of their big free agent signings, suffered a lower leg at practice today and he’s having an MRI on his Achilles, per me and @MikeGarafolo. If it is torn, Lawson would be out for the season.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 19, 2021

New York Daily News Jets beat reporter DJ Bien-Aime witnessed the injury live

“Practice got very quiet,” Bien-Aime said in a tweet. “Carl Lawson is down and hurt. Players are taking a knee and praying. The cart is out for him. That’s so disappointing man. Carl Lawson was eating all camp. A bi(g) year was imminent .. never want to see that”

Dien-Aime reported that Jets cornerback Zane Lewis was carted off with an injury as well. The joint practice ended shortly after.

Lawson signed with the Jets this offseason for 3 years, $45,000,000. Lawson was considered one of the biggest free agent signings for the Jets in head coach Robert Saleh’s first offseason.

The injury is a big blow to the Jets defense. Lawson was expected to be the featured pass rusher on the Jets defense and provide much-needed speed off the edge. The Jets have a physical interior presence in third-year defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, who had seven sacks last season.

In Saleh’s defense, Lawson was expected to play a role similar to Nick Bosa in San Francisco, where Saleh was the defensive coordinator from 2017-2020. Williams, a disruptive interior presence, was expected to play DeForest Buckner’s role in his time with the 49ers. If Lawson is out for the season, the Jets will have turn to fourth-year defensive end John Franklin-Myers. The Jets could also turn to free agency, where older veterans like Oliver Vernon, Everson Griffen and Trent Murphy are still available.

Last season with the Bengals, Lawson recorded just 5.5 sacks but led the league in quarterback knockdowns with 27 and was second in quarterback hits with 32, per NFL NextGen Stats.

Lawson entered the league in 2017 from Auburn. In three seasons played (Lawson missed 2014 with injury) Lawson finished with a career total of 24 tackles for loss and 14 career sacks in just 33 games played. He went on to be drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

As a rookie, Lawson had 8.5 sacks. He struggled to stay healthy in 2018 and 2019, playing in just 19 combined games over the two seasons. In 2020, Lawson played all 16 games before entering free agency and signing with the Jets.