Aaron Glenn and the New York Jets concluded preseason with an all-too-familiar refrain: injuries trumping glimpses of toughness. Lawrance Toafili‘s 19-yard run for a touchdown, clubbed with Adrian Martinez‘s 2-point rush, helped the Gang Green come closer to the Eagles, but that wasn’t enough. They lost the game 17-19. And an injury update on wideout Xavier Gipson added to their woes.

That concern heightened on Friday when Glenn said Gipson, 24, is still out with a shoulder problem. He said that he’s still working on it, so he didn’t feel like it made sense to play him. The Jets expected their young returner and receiver, one of the team’s fastest and most versatile players, to play a big role this preseason. Rather, his absence has run into late August, questioning how prepared he’ll be when the regular season begins. For Glenn, it was a long-term health decision. But the timing is difficult with roster reductions and Week 1 prep looming.

Xavier Gipson had also left a previous preseason game against the Giants with the same shoulder injury, at that point deemed questionable to return. That stint drew alarm, but the fact that he is still out highlights the setback. Gipson, now in his third season in the NFL, has recorded 27 receptions for 268 yards and one TD. For a player riding firmly on the roster bubble, these missed opportunities couldn’t be worse timed. Every preseason rep counted for him to demonstrate that he was worth Glenn’s last 53. But instead, his absence has opened the door for other players to demonstrate their ability.

Unfortunately, Gipson’s injury wasn’t an isolated blow. Glenn and his personnel had to manage an increasingly long injury list in August. Cornerback Bump Cooper was put on injured reserve. Earlier in the week, cornerback Kris Boyd also ended up on IR due to a shoulder injury. Neither of these players was a regular starter, but their injuries deprive the Jets roster, which is still very much in the process of constructing precious depth. For Aaron Glenn, who takes pride in depth and rotation, the mounting attrition is precisely the sort of August headache that every new coach fears.

Jets’ late rally falls short in preseason finale against Eagles

As if the injury update was not enough, the Jets concluded their preseason schedule with a close 17-19 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium. With every projected starter except one, Glenn’s team still managed to battle back from a 3-19 deficit. The rally came up a little short, but the determination was evident. The Green & White finished preseason with a record of 1-2.

Quarterback Adrian Martinez and rookie WR-KR Jamaal Pritchett ignited the fire in the late fourth quarter. After Toafili’s touchdown and Martinez’s 2-point conversion, rookie Donovan Edwards bulled into the end zone from a yard out, trimming the Jets’ deficit to 17-19 with approximately three minutes on the clock. Edwards came up just short on the subsequent conversion, leaving the Jets heartbreakingly close. Even then, the defense held, and Pritchett provided electric punt returns and clutch catches to create another opportunity for the offense. The rally came to an end on a fourth-down failure. But the tenacity revealed much about Glenn’s young team.

However, first-year quarterback Brady Cook received the start and rode through a bumpy beginning to stage a scoring drive well into the first half. Rookie safety Malachi Moore contributed with an interception and some standout defensive plays, while pass rusher Braiden McGregor chalked up a pivotal sack. But again, the Jets were hurt by some expensive blunders, 10 penalties for 78 yards that stalled promising campaigns. Glenn termed those statistics “fixable,” but conceded they are the difference between moral victories and tangible triumphs.

The Jets turn the page to the regular season now, with roster cuts looming and Week 1 preparation getting underway in earnest. For Aaron Glenn, the preseason finale yielded optimism as well as pain: a team ready to scrap to the final whistle, but one still grasping for health and depth as the real test begins.