With Jets still in NFL record-INT drought, Minkah Fitzpatrick hopes to return from groin injury

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Minkah Fitzpatrick's debut with the New York Jets ended after just a few snaps.

Instead of making a game-changing play — maybe even an interception, of all things — against the Tennessee Titans in the season opener on Sept. 13, the veteran safety was on the ground in pain with a groin injury that has sidelined him since .

“Yeah, it’s frustrating,” Fitzpatrick acknowledged Thursday. “I started watching film on Tennessee probably in June. So I felt really, really locked in, really in tune with how the game was going to go and how it was going to flow. And then six plays in, what happened happened.”

On a scramble by Titans quarterback Cam Ward, Fitzpatrick went down while defending Carnell Tate near the sideline and immediately grabbed at his left groin area.

“I tried my best to finish the game, but as a DB, with a groin, it's kind of tough,” Fitzpatrick said. “So it was frustrating, but also at the same time, you still got to stay locked in. You can’t be mad in those circumstances and still try to help your teammates in the best way you can.”

After a few weeks of healing and rehabilitating, Fitzpatrick could return Sunday against the Bears in Chicago . Coach Aaron Glenn said Wednesday “there’s a really good chance” Fitzpatrick will play.

He was a full participant in practice Thursday after being listed as limited Wednesday, which was an upgrade from the past few weeks when he sat out entirely.

“We have a great training staff here that’s helped me get back healthy,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s a part of the game, but I’m just happy to be out here trying to get back.”

The three-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl selection established himself as a ballhawk with 21 career interceptions — including four returned for touchdowns — and 60 passes defensed in his first eight NFL seasons. The Jets brought him in to try to help end their NFL-record interception drought, set last season when they became the first team to go an entire season without picking off a quarterback.

With his return imminent, Fitzpatrick might still get a chance to snap that streak, which is now at a stunning 20 consecutive games.

“It would be very nice,” he said with a laugh. “Very sweet.”

The 29-year-old Fitzpatrick was traded to the Jets from Miami in March for a seventh-round pick in this year's draft. New York then signed him to a three-year, $40 million contract extension, making him a key part of a defense for the next few seasons.

During his absence, Andre Cisco — a starter last season — has filled in and performed well opposite Dane Belton in the Jets' secondary. But Fitzpatrick's presence would strengthen a defense ranked No. 2 overall in yards allowed.

“Certainly excited about Minkah coming back,” defensive coordinator Brian Duker said. “Obviously showed kind of who he is as a player throughout his career, so obviously, a good player, happy to always have those in the lineup.”

Garrett Wilson has offensive coordinator Frank Reich comparing him to something you might find at the Louvre or the Met.

The Jets wide receiver is off to a terrific start with 21 catches for 243 yards — both ranking in the top 10 in the NFL — and two touchdowns in three games. And he has certainly impressed Reich.

“I’ve coached some good receivers and I’m not sure I’ve had one like Garrett, he’s unique,” Reich said. "Every player is unique. This is probably a bad analogy, so you guys can give me a hard time for it, but if it’s a masterpiece of art that you’re looking at, if it’s a true masterpiece, you kind of keep coming back and looking at it and you see it and appreciate different aspects of it every time you look at it and you see something different.

“So, for me and for us as a coaching staff, it’s been fun to watch and see.”

Reich said the key is finding balance in using Wilson, who was limited to seven games last season by a knee injury, to his fullest potential while spreading the ball around the offense.

“We’re not just going to feed one guy,” Reich said. “We want to get Garrett a lot of targets. I promise you, every week, the No. 1 guy in the progression is going to be him on more plays than anybody else, but that doesn’t mean the ball is always going to go there. ... Fun player. I love Garrett, the way he competes, his competitiveness, but I also love how much of a team player and how much of a leader he is as well.”

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