The New York Jets will receive a boost this week with the return of an important defensive player from injury. But they’ll also be missing a key rookie when they visit the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Linebacker Quincy Williams will play after missing two games with a high ankle sprain. His quick return is a surprise. When he was carted off the field in a Week 3 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, it appeared Williams could be lost for a while.

“When he had his injury it looked, at least from my perspective, really bad,” coach Robert Saleh said Friday. “We dodged a bullet. He dodged a bullet. We thought it was going to be much worse.”

Williams likely will return to the starting lineup against the Packers. At the time of the injury, Williams was second on the Jets with 16 tackles, trailing only linebacker C.J. Mosley. The 26-year-old had an NFL career-high 110 tackles in 16 games with the Jets last season.

“Credit to him, he’s been working his tail off to get back,” Saleh said. “Hopefully, he gets a chance to make some plays.”

The Jets won both games Williams was out and are 3-2 this season. In his absence, Kwon Alexander, Marcell Harris and Will Parks received increased playing time. Alexander, in particular, has impressed.

“The dude packs a punch,” Saleh enthused. “He’s brought a different swagger to our team.”

Defensive end Jermaine Johnson will not play this week due to an ankle injury sustained last week against the Miami Dolphins. Johnson did not practice at all this week.

The No. 26 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft is third on the Jets with 1.5 sacks. As part of New York’s heavy rotation on the line, Johnson has played 30 percent of the defensive snaps this season.