Jets defensive back Elijah Riley was carted off the field during Sunday’s loss to Miami after a scary collision that left his head and neck bent at an awkward angle, but he gave everyone a piece of good news by pumping his fist as he was taken off the field, showing movement in his extremities.
Head coach Robert Saleh had even better news after the game: Riley “checked out fine” and “has motion,” and he will travel back to New York with the team.
It’s a situation Saleh noted is tough for not just the player(s) involved in the collision, but everyone on the field to see a fellow bearer of the shield go down, and Riley’s defensive teammates were happy to hear the news that Riley would be okay.
“He’s a warrior, and one thing we know we’re going to get out of him is he’s going to go full speed, balls to the wall, so we never have to question his energy or his heart,” Bryce Hall said. “It was tough to see him go down; we play a violent game, and you never want to see anything like that, because that’s the worst part about playing this game.”
"It was very scary," added linebacker C.J. Mosley. "I did see him moving his arms, and once he got on the cart he was looking at everybody. Definitely praying for him, definitely hope that everything is alright.”
Also tough, Mosley said, to put that behind you quickly and get back to business.
"It’s hard to put the switch back on; when you battle and your brother goes down you want to make sure he’s okay, but at the end of the day, we still have to do our job on the field, so guys had to get back focused," Mosley said. "When you do see injuries like that, you realize how dangerous this game is, and you never know when that could happen to you."
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Riley, a Long Island native who went to Newfield High School in Selden, signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent out of Army last season and spent more than a year on the Birds’ practice squad, getting activated for a handful of games last season.
He was on the practice squad all year before signing with the Jets in November, and he has become a key contributor in both the secondary and the locker room.
“He's a very passionate player, very, very passionate, I'll just keep it at that. Everything that he does in practice, in the meeting room, on the field, off the field,” Mosley said. "When he first got here, you would've thought that he'd been here with us the whole time, that's how quick he jelled with the guys and with the DB's. We're definitely praying for him."
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