Entering their final game of the season, the Jets have a handful of players whose availability will be in question until Sunday. Among them include starting TE Tyler Conklin (calf), RG Alijah Vera-Tucker (ankle) and RT Morgan Moses (knee), who was named the team's Dennis Byrd/Most Inspirational Award winner Friday.
"A lot would say with all the injuries he's battled this year and all he's gone through, why even try?" interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich said of Moses. "It's such a demonstration of who this man is and his DNA and how unique and uncommon it is. He feels such an obligation to his teammates and has such deep relationships in that locker room that he feels like he has to play. If he doesn't play on Sunday, it's not going to be because he didn't unturn every stone to try and be available for the fellas in that locker room."
When Moses exited last Sunday's loss in Buffalo, he was replaced by Carter Warren at RT. The Jets are down to their third LT in Max Mitchell because both Tyron Smith and rookie Olu Fashanu are on injured reserve.
Elsewhere on the injury front, CB Sauce Gardner will not play in Week 18's game with a hamstring injury he's been battling since Week 13. He missed these teams' first meeting in Week 14 in South Florida.
The Green & White will be thin in the secondary down Gardner and starting S Chuck Clark, who was placed on injured reserve earlier this week due to a torn pec. Chuck joined starter Jalen Mills on IR, who hurt his collarbone in Week 15 at Jacksonville. Safeties Tony Adams and Ashtyn Davis will start Sunday in the season finale.
"I love Chuck and it just breaks my heart that he had another injury like that here," Ulbrich said. "But at the same time, it's an opportunity for Ashtyn to really get some run at safety and being he's a free agent, that can be a powerful thing for a guy like himself. I look forward to seeing what he can do with this opportunity."
Dolphins QB Shakeup
The Dolphins are likely start backup quarterback Tyler Huntley Sunday for a second straight game as Tua Tagovailoa continues to deal with a hip injury and is unlikely to play, according to Miami head coach Mike McDaniel.
Huntley, who has for 2,559 career passing yards, 10 touchdowns and 8 interceptions in 24 games (13 starts), threw for 225 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions last week in a 20-3 win at Cleveland to keep Miami's playoff hopes alive. He will be the fourth Dolphins QB to play against the Jets in the last six meetings.
"The offense is such a systematic offense in the way they operate that although Tua is a fantastic player, Huntley can absolutely run this offense at a high level," IHC Jeff Ulbrich said. "I think regardless of who is quarterback, we're going to see a lot of the same stuff schematically. The only real difference is Huntley's mobility. He's a guy that's a scrambler and will get first downs with his legs and we have to account for that."
Another Kicking Change
After placing Greg Zuerlein (back) on injured reserve for the second time this season, the Jets will use K Greg Joseph Sunday in their season finale against the Dolphins at MetLife Stadium.
Joseph is the fifth kicker for the Green & White this season, the most in franchise history.
"I've had a lot of kickers since I've been here, but it's made it tough," said ST coordinator Brant Boyer, whose been with the team since 2016. "I'm not going to lie about that. It's not for a lack of trying to get it right, just had some issues that sometimes you can help, sometimes you can't. I've got to hand it to the guys that have come in here. I've got to hand it to Henny [LS Thomas Hennessy], I've got to hand it to T-Mo [P Thomas Morstead]. They've come in, they get extra snaps, they get extra holds every week, they try to get the operations right and everything like that. Has it been tough? Absolutely, it has. Unfortunately, it's part of the business where people go down at any position for one reason or another. It's made it a tough year, absolutely."
Joseph was signed to the active roster earlier this week after joining the practice squad Dec. 24. He played earlier this season with the Commanders and the Giants and made 15 of his 19 field-goal attempts. He also made all eight extra-point attempts.
"He's done a really good job and he's a veteran guy that's been in games, kicked in games and he's had a good week of practice," Boyer said of Joseph. "We have the confidence in him to make them when called upon. I think he'll do a good job."
