Jets’ defense takes a hit as linebackers Quincy Williams and Marcelino McCrary-Ball placed on IR

The New York Jets placed linebacker Quincy Williams on the injured reserve list with a shoulder injury, one of several moves Tuesday by the team that’s looking for its first win.

The loss of Williams leaves the banged-up and struggling defense without one of its top playmakers for at least four weeks, the minimum amount of time a player can miss while on IR.

Williams was hurt just before halftime of the Jets’ 29-27 loss to the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay on Sunday. He had four total tackles and a half-sack before he left.

Linebacker and special teams captain Marcelino McCrary-Ball replaced Williams, but was also placed on IR with a hamstring injury suffered in the game.

To help offset the losses of Williams and McCrary-Ball, New York signed linebacker Mark Robinson off New England’s practice squad and added linebacker Ben Niemann to its practice squad.

The Jets also earlier added depth to their secondary by acquiring cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. and a seventh-round pick in the 2026 draft for a sixth-rounder next April.

The Jets are dealing with a few other major injuries, with quarterback Justin Fields’ status uncertain for New York’s game at Miami on Monday night because of a concussion that sidelined him against the Buccaneers. If he’s not cleared from the concussion protocol, Tyrod Taylor would get his second start in a row.

New York was still also evaluating edge rusher Jermaine Johnson (ankle), S Tony Adams (hip) and defensive tackle Jay Tufele (illness), all of whom sat out last Sunday.

Since being claimed by the Jets off waivers from Jacksonville in 2021, Williams has been one of the team’s most consistent playmakers on defense along with younger brother defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.

Quincy Williams has 15 total tackles and 1 1/2 sacks this season for the Jets, who have had surprising issues on defense under new coach Aaron Glenn and coordinator Steve Wilks.

Glenn on Monday said one of the points of emphasis for his defense will be improving its tackling after missing 16 against the Buccaneers, according to Pro Football Focus. The Jets have also lost two games late — against Pittsburgh in Week 1 and at Tampa Bay last week — because the defense couldn’t make stops.

The 29-year-old Williams was an All-Pro in 2023 and has 545 combined tackles, 10 1/2 sacks, 19 quarterback hits, 10 forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and an interception in 86 games. He was a third-round pick of the Jaguars out of Murray State in 2019.

The Jets signed him to a three-year, $18 million contract extension in March 2023.

Robinson was a seventh-round pick of Pittsburgh in 2022 out of Ole Miss and played his first three NFL seasons with the Steelers. He was waived after training camp this summer and signed a few days later to New England’s practice squad.

Robinson, who had three special teams tackles in three games with the Patriots, has 48 combined tackles, a sack and three forced fumbles in 41 NFL games.

Niemann spent last season in Detroit, where Glenn was his defensive coordinator. The 30-year-old linebacker has 264 combined tackles, two sacks, seven fumble recoveries and a forced fumble in seven NFL seasons. He was signed by Kansas City as an undrafted free agent out of Iowa in 2018 and also spent time with Arizona and Denver.

The Jets released offensive lineman Liam Fornadel to make room on the practice squad for Niemann.

Brownlee was a fifth-round pick out of Louisville in 2024 and started 14 games for the Titans last season. He started the first two games this season, but missed last week’s loss to Indianapolis with an injured ankle.

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