Zach Wilson and the New York Jets seem to have avoided a preseason nightmare.
Wilson is expected to miss two to four weeks with a bone bruise in his right knee and a torn meniscus, according to people familiar with the injury. The person told the Associated Press that the timeline for how long Wilson will be out will be determined by arthroscopic surgery to repair the meniscus.
Initially, there were fears that Wilson suffered a serious, potentially season-ending knee injury in New York’s second offensive series in Friday night’s 24-21 preseason opening win in Philadelphia. It had been.
Post-match tests showed the ACL intact, and an MRI on Saturday morning revealed the exact nature of the damage. told AP.
The New York Post first reported that Wilson had been diagnosed with a bone bruise and a torn meniscus. Wilson and the Jets remain optimistic, but until doctors operate on the quarterback’s knee, we won’t know the full extent of the injury and whether recovery could take more than two to four weeks.
It’s still possible Wilson is set to play in the season opener against Baltimore on Sept. 11. If not, veteran Joe Flacco could start in Wilson’s place against his former team.
After returning to pass with 4:29 left in the first quarter, Wilson was washed out of his pocket and scrambled seven yards to the right, but was downed while trying to pass Philadelphia’s Naco Bedeen. It looked like I injured my knee when I planted it to mow in the grass in Philadelphia.
Wilson was down for several minutes as doctors and trainers checked on him. He cautiously went to the sideline and then to the dressing room.
“He’s in a good mood,” manager Robert Saleh said of Wilson after the game.
And he probably felt a lot better knowing that the season wasn’t over yet before it started.
Wilson’s progress in his second NFL season will be a major focus of the year for the Jets, who acquired the former BYU star with last year’s No. 2 overall pick. Wilson had a down-and-up season that started with a struggle, then sprained the PCL behind the same right knee and missed four games. But he came back and was solid all the way through without throwing an interception in his final five games.
Wilson finished his rookie year with nine touchdown passes and 11 interceptions. The Jets added some playmaking elements around their young quarterback during the offseason — including wide receiver Garrett Wilson, tight ends CJ Uzoma, Tyler Conklin, and Breece Hall — and he had a solid training camp this summer.