Cardinals @ Jets Week 5 Inactive List: Bell Returns, Flacco Starts for Jets

The winless Jets have found no success through their first four games of the season, and the road again doesn’t get much easier with the ascending Arizona Cardinals coming to town. This matchup features two teams with young quarterbacks on two entirely different career paths. Sam Darnold is struggling along in his third year with his second NFL head coach, while Kyler Murray is blossoming in Kliff Kilngsbury’s air-raid style offense, with 35 total TDs and 23 turnovers, after only 20 games together.

Unfortunately, Sam Darnold won’t be active for today’s game, as he is nursing an AC sprain in his right shoulder, an injury he suffered after being slammed to the turf by Alexander Johnson in last Thursday’s game against Denver. It is unknown if this will be the only game he will be forced to sit out, as Adam Gase refused to elaborate on the injury. Veteran Joe Flacco will start in his place, his first game action since having offseason neck surgery. Mike White will serve as his backup.

On a positive note, the offense will get back a playmaker in Le’Veon Bell, who hasn’t been on the field since Week 1 against Buffalo. Hopefully he can spark a few big plays for an offense that is near last in every possible category. Wide receiver Breshad Perriman will miss yet another game, his third straight. Rookie Mekhi Becton, after attempting to play against the Broncos and having to come back out, is not active today. Similarly to Darnold, Gase wouldn’t go into detail on the injury’s severity, so this could be a bumpy road to recovery for the young lineman. Rookie Ashtyn Davis was set to return from IR this week, and is likely to reclaim duties as the special teams returner after the release of Josh Malone. Here is the full list of inactive players for today’s game.

• QB Sam Darnold
• QB James Morgan
• RB Ty Johnson
• WR Breshad Perriman
• OT Mekhi Becton
• Blessuan Austin
• S Marqui Christian