It was a long recovery for young Jets pass rusher Jermaine Johnson.
Johnson was forced to undergoing season-ending surgery after suffering a devastating Achilles injury during a Week 2 meeting with the Tennessee Titans last year.
He’s been grinding in his rehab over the past couple of months in an effort to work his way back to the field, and was finally cleared by team doctors to return on Sunday.
The 26-year-old was activated from the PUP list on Sunday, and was out there alongside his teammates for Tuesday’s join practice session with the Giants.
The Jets do plan on playing things safe with him in the early going, but Johnson is feeling good and expects to be ready to roll by Week 1.
“I trust the coaches, they’re backing the Ferrari off the truck cautiously,” he said. “I understand it, but I feel like I’m ready to go — in my opinion I got a cheat code in my leg. I got a strong Achilles, I’m faster, so I’ll be ready when my name is called.”
Having Johnson back will be a huge boost for Gang Green’s defense heading into the season.
Prior to the injury, he put together his first Pro Bowl campaign and established himself as one of the more important well-rounded pieces for this group.
He took on a much larger role as the year went on and finished with 55 tackles (11 for loss), 7.5 sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble over 17 starts.
Now under new head coach Aaron Glenn, the hope is that he'll take his game to another level.
“Right now, I’m just focusing on getting better,” Johnson said. “This time now I get to work on my football instincts, my movements, my pass-rush, all of that — my leg feels good, now I’m excited I get this time to build on who I am as a football player.”
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