It's opening night for the Jets and time to find out how active and effective their 2024 active roster will be in taking on the 49ers at San Francisco's Levi's Stadium to conclude the first week of the NFL regular season.
One player the Niners would have preferred to have available as they raise the curtain on their new season was the services of RB Christian McCaffrey, the NFL's defending rushing leader Pro Bowler and All-Pro. But McCaffrey, listed as limited in practice all week and questionable for the game with calf and Achilles injuries, has been declared inactive for tonight's game.
As for the Jets, they get Aaron Rodgers back in action, and No, 8 said he may give "a smirk" to the injury gods when he completes his fifth play of the game, after having last season ended after four plays by a torn Achilles in the opening-night game vs. Buffalo.
Key athletic performers, WR Garrett Wilson and RB Breece Hall, joined by, among others, unrestricted free agent WR Mike Williams, who's done with his offseason injury rehab and ready to make his Green & White debut. TE Tyler Conklin is looking to continue his upward career trend as well.
The reinvigorated offensive line, anchored by new/old 33-year-old bookend tackles Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses, regaining the services of versatile RG Alijah Vera-Tucker after his own injury rehab, plus plugging in John Simpson at RG and returning second-year man Joe Tippmann at C.
See the Jets arriving at Levi's Stadium for the first game of the 2024 season against the 49ers on Monday Night Football.
The stars of the defense — "The Captain," MLB C.J. Mosley, All-Pro LB Quincy Williams, Pro Bowlers from all three levels in Quinnen Williams, Jermaine Johnson and Sauce Gardner — are joined by big and fast DL Javon Kinlaw, returning edge men Micheal Clemons and Will McDonald, CB D.J. Reed, S Tony Adams and S Chuck Clark, back after a season in injury rehab.
Yet not all players on the roster will be active. The Jets list seven inactives for tonight's first game of this season of promise:
- RB Izzy Abanikanda
- CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse
- DL Eric Watts
- T Max Mitchell
- T Carter Warren
- TE Brenden Bates
- DL Leonard Taylor
With backup tackles Warren and Mitchell both on the sidelines, the lone backup for both Smith and Moses at the tackles is Jets first-round rookie Olu Fashanu.
Two injured backup candidates, OL Wes Schweitzer and LB Zaire Barnes, would have been inactive possibilities, except that the Jets placed both on short-term Injured Reserve in the last three days.
Other Jets who suddenly become active for this game after the team made a number of transactions include OL Jake Hanson and LB Samuel Eguavoen, who were signed to the active roster today, and TE Anthony Firkser and DL Jalyn Holmes, both of whom were activated from the practice squad for this game.
And these are the 49ers' seven inactives, which include McCaffrey as well as starting S Talanoa Hufanga (knee, doubtful):
- QB Joshua Dobbs
- RB Christian McCaffrey
- CB Darrell Luter Jr.
- S Talanoa Hufanga
- LB Dee Winters
- OL Ben Bartch
- DE Yetur Gross-Matos
