NEW YORK — Zach Wilson’s season is not over. There is even hope that the Jets quarterback could be back on the field for the regular-season opener in four weeks.
The Jets received some good news on Wilson’s right knee injury on Saturday. According to a league source, MRI results revealed that Wilson suffered a bone bruise and a tear in his meniscus in Friday’s preseason game in Philadelphia. The initial prognosis is that Wilson will be sidelined for only two to four weeks.
Wilson will get a second opinion before getting arthroscopic surgery to address the meniscus. It’s not expected that he will need a full meniscus repair. However, more will be known about the extent of the injury when the doctors scope the knee.
They will be able to see if the meniscus needs to be trimmed or repaired and that will determine whether Wilson will miss two weeks, be closer to the four-week range or be sidelined longer.
At this point, though, the Jets are encouraged by the initial news and feel fortunate that Wilson didn’t suffer any ligament damage.
The Jets believe it’s possible that Wilson can play in the regular-season opener Sept. 11 against Baltimore. It will depend on what’s found during the scope, which likely will happen in the coming days. If Wilson isn’t ready, 14-year veteran Joe Flacco would get the start against his former team.
When Wilson first injured his knee Friday night, there was fear that it was serious and could be season-ending. Speculation was that the second-year quarterback had torn his ACL after suffering a non-contact injury while scrambling.
Wilson was trying to gain some extra yards on just his ninth snap of the game. He got to the outside and chose not to run out of bounds. Instead, Wilson cut back to juke linebacker Nakobe Dean. Wilson’s leg buckled and he dove to the ground, likely to avoid contact.
Moments later, Wilson was helped to his feet, but he was limping badly and fell down. Team trainers came out and tended to him while the other offensive starters took a knee around Wilson. He left the field on his own and went to the locker room.
Coach Robert Saleh said afterward that from the initial tests the ACL “is supposed to be intact.” The Jets coach was being cautiously optimistic, but Saturday's MRI proved that Wilson hadn’t done any damage to his ligaments.
Last season, Wilson suffered a sprained PCL in the back of the same right knee that kept him out of four games.
“I’m 0-for with trying to decipher doctor language,” Saleh said, “so I’m just going to let the MRI play out.”
You can’t blame Saleh for not wanting to give false hope about Wilson and wait until more was known. Earlier in the week, Saleh sounded positive about Mekhi Becton’s status after he left practice with a knee injury. Further tests showed that Becton had a fracture in his kneecap and likely would miss the season.
The Jets didn’t practice Saturday. When they return to work on Sunday, Saleh will address Wilson’s health. After the game, Saleh did say that Wilson “100 percent” made a mistake by not running out of bounds.
Wilson showed his inexperience on that play, trying to make something happen in a meaningless preseason game. His competitive juices and instincts take over, but the more seasoned quarterback knows to get out of bounds, slide or throw the ball away.
In Wilson’s absence, the more-seasoned Flacco will run the first team and Mike White the second team. Saleh has the utmost faith in Flacco leading the offense. Saleh made headlines during this camp when he said he still feels Flacco is a starting quarterback in the NFL. He may get the chance to prove it.
“You guys know how I feel about Joe,” Saleh said. “Everyone does. The whole world does. Joe’s a phenomenal football player. He’s having a great camp, and he’s got a lot of juice left in the tank.”
