Sources: Jets hopeful QB Zach Wilson avoided serious injury ahead of MRI
PHILADELPHIA — New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson will have an MRI exam Saturday on his right knee, but the team is hopeful that he avoided a season-ending injury, sources said Friday night after the team’s preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Jets declined to provide any specifics, except to say Wilson’s ACL is “supposed to be intact,” coach Robert Saleh said. The early indications are that he re-injured his PCL and that he might miss only a few weeks, sources told ESPN’s Dianna Russini.
Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in 2021, missed four games last season with a sprained PCL in the same knee.
“I’m going to let the MRI play out and we’ll figure it out (Saturday),” Saleh said after the Jets’ 24-21 win.
It was a nightmare start for Wilson and the Jets. On their second series, Wilson’s knee appeared to buckle in a non-contact injury as he scrambled out of the pocket. He limped to the locker room with 3:43 remaining in the first quarter.
“A lot of swear words,” said Saleh, describing his reaction as he watched his quarterback leave the field.
Wilson was seen in the locker room after the game, walking with a pronounced limp. He wasn’t made available to the media.
The Jets have three other quarterbacks on the roster – primary backup Joe Flacco, Mike White and Chris Streveler. If Wilson has to miss the start of the regular season, he likely would be replaced by the 37-year-old Flacco. The Jets open against Flacco’s first team, the Baltimore Ravens, whom he led to a Super Bowl championship in 2012.
“You guys know how I feel about Joe,” Saleh said. “Everyone does, the whole world knows. Joe is a phenomenal football player. He’s having a great camp and he has a lot of juice left in the tank.”
Flacco was rested on Friday night. White (10-for-20, 98 yards) and Streveler (6-for-9, 62 yards, two TD passes) handled the quarterback duties.
Wilson could’ve avoided the injury by running out of bounds or sliding. “One hundred percent,” Saleh said. Wilson was flushed from the pocket by defensive end Tarron Jackson, who beat rookie right tackle Max Mitchell.
As he turned the corner, with rookie defensive tackle Jordan Davis in hot pursuit, Wilson tried to cut inside on rookie linebacker Nakobe Dean. That’s when his knee appeared to give out.
“Just run your butt out of bounds,” Saleh said. “He got a little greedy, he wanted to get more. It’s a new sod, so it wasn’t exactly as firm as you want it to be.”
Wilson got up quickly, limping, but dropped to the turf in obvious pain. It was a replay of last season, Week 7, when he sprained his PCL in a Week 7 loss to the New England Patriots. He didn’t require surgery. When he returned, he broke a brace for the rest of the season.
“It’s going to be tough,” wide receiver Corey Davis said. “That’s our guy – that’s our QB1 – but we understand that injuries happen. We just have to pray that he’s all right.”
Wilson, who threw an interception on his first series, was in “good spirits,” Saleh said. “He’s frustrated obviously. He’s as good as you could be in this situation.”
The Jets have high hopes for Wilson in his second year, confident that will improve after a difficult rookie year. Their entire offseason was geared around Wilson. They upgraded the supporting cast with the belief that it would elevate Wilson’s game. This marked the second significant injury in a five-day. On Monday, right tackle Mekhi Becton suffered a fractured knee cap in practice is expected to be lost for the season. They replaced him by signing Duane Brown.