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New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson will miss more time during an injury-plagued season with his second knee issue of the campaign. According to ESPN, the star wideout is expected to miss at least three to four weeks with a knee sprain, which he sustained in Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Browns. The silver lining is that Wilson will not require surgery, thus aiding in the likelihood that he returns before the end of the regular season.
The looming absence will mark Wilson’s second multi-week recovery of the year. He sat out of the Jets’ Week 7 and Week 8 games due to a hyperextended knee and returned after the team’s bye week. It was just one game back on the field for the former first-round pick, though, before he landed back on the shelf with another ailment.
Wilson left in the second half on Sunday and did not return to the game. He limped off the field after an attempted diving catch, and coach Aaron Glenn confirmed after the victory that Wilson suffered another injury to the same knee that hampered him earlier in the year.
The early exit kept Wilson out of the box score as he did not haul in any of his three targets for catches. It was a quiet day for the Jets’ passing game as a whole. Quarterback Justin Fields completed six passes for 54 yards, and all but 12 of those yards came on one connection with running back Breece Hall.
Wilson’s injury comes at an inopportune time for the Jets, who have momentum for the first time this year. New York won each of its last two games, reversing its fortunes after a dreadful 0-7 start. And it did so in a couple of different fashions, leaning on its offense in a 39-38 shootout with the Cincinnati Bengals and relying on its defense in a 27-20 battle with the Browns.
The multiple absences will likely prevent Wilson from reaching the 1,000-yard mark this season. If that is the case, it will be the first time in his four years as a pro that he does not crack that threshold. His four touchdowns, however, are the second-most of his career.
If Wilson misses just three games, he would be back in the lineup for the Jets’ Dec. 7 matchup with the Miami Dolphins. A four-game spell would have him return for a Dec. 14 trip to face the Jacksonville Jaguars.