Jets' Duane Brown Returns to Practice amid Recovery from Surgery on Shoulder Injury

The New York Jets announced Thursday that veteran offensive tackle Duane Brown was designated to return to practice after being placed on injured reserve following Week 2.

Brown underwent offseason surgery on his left shoulder before returning to start the first two games of the season at left tackle, but he was placed on injured reserve with shoulder and hip injuries.

The Jets have a 21-day window to place Brown back on the active roster following his return to practice.

The 38-year-old Brown signed with the Jets prior to last season after spending parts of 10 seasons with the Houston Texans and parts of five seasons with the Seattle Seahawks.

Brown started all 12 games he appeared in last season, but he missed about a month of action during the year with a shoulder ailment.

While Brown was originally signed to replace Mekhi Becton when Becton was lost for the entire 2022 campaign, the Jets accommodated Brown entering the 2023 season by keeping him at left tackle and keeping Becton at right tackle.

However, since Brown has been out of action, Becton has moved back to left tackle, and he has started all seven games for the Jets this season with five of the starts coming at left tackle.

That has left 2022 fourth-round pick Max Mitchell as the top option at right tackle, as he has started the past two games in that spot.

Although Becton has held his own at left tackle during Brown's absence, it seems likely that he will shift back to right tackle when Brown returns.

Brown has spent the vast majority of his 16-year NFL career at left tackle, and he has thrived at that position, earning five Pro Bowl selections and one first-team All-Pro nod.

Despite being without their starting left tackle since Week 2 and superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers since Week 1 due to a torn Achilles, the Jets have battled and remained in the AFC playoff race.

New York has won three games in a row to improve its record to 4-3, and part of the reason why is the fact that quarterback Zach Wilson is limiting mistakes with just one interception over his past five games.

A returning Brown figures to bolster Wilson's protection and give him even more confidence, which bodes well for the Jets' chances of hanging around and perhaps staying in the hunt long enough for Rodgers to make an unprecedented same-season return from a torn Achilles.