On the second drive of the opening preseason game, New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson went down with a non-contact knee injury.
For several hours most assumed, his season was over. However, we later found out that there was a really good chance he’d only miss a handful of weeks instead.
The former BYU passer flew out to California to undergo knee surgery on Tuesday, August 16. The results of that surgery could either confirm the multi-week return timeline or reveal that he is actually out for the season.
Rich Cimini of ESPN shared that the arthroscopic knee surgery was “deemed a success.”
BREAKING: Zach Wilson’s arthroscopic knee surgery was deemed a success, source tells ESPN. There were no surprises from the original diagnosis. They won’t put him on the field until he’s 100%, but good news for the Jets . #Jets
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Some Clarity at QB
With Wilson’s surgery a success that means the chances of him being out for the season are now over.
Now he must rehab for the next batch of weeks to get himself ready for the 2022 season.
It is still unclear if Wilson will be ready for Week 1 versus the Baltimore Ravens. If he is unable to go the Jets will turn to Joe Flacco in his stead.
Following surgery, #Jets QB Zach Wilson is recovery nicely and still has week 1 in play, source said. No surprises. They’ll be cautious until he’s 100%.
This is a major sigh of relief because things seemed to be leaning in a very bad direction.
When a quarterback goes down with a non-contact injury, that usually ends in disaster. Even when it seemed Wilson avoided the worst-case scenario, the thing that was held over the heads of Jets fans was the results of this surgery.
You can only tell so much by feeling the knee from the outside and doing an initial MRI. Ultimately the Jets wouldn’t know the extent of the injury until their young passer went under the knife.
Good things don’t normally happen to the Jets, yet the luck of the draw was bound to bounce in their favor eventually and now it has in a major way.
Time to Start Playing Mature
Now that Wilson is out of the woods and he survived his play versus the Philadelphia Eagles in the preseason, it’s time to change the conversation.
There is no other way to put it, Wilson needs to play with a greater level of maturity.
He must realize how important he is to the success and failure of this franchise. It is up to him to protect the team.
In the NFL it is about surviving each play and making it to the next one. Could Wilson have gained an additional four to five yards with his juke back inside and dive forward? Sure, but even the small risk that he gets injured isn’t worth it.
Players on a play-to-play basis must make decisions in the heat of battle. Is this risk worth this reward or vice versa?
Wilson needs to take a greater level of care of being precatious. Even if he slides out of bounds before he would’ve wanted to. In the grand scheme of things, he is going to know he made the correct decision.
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Jets Make Final Call on Zach Wilson’s Immediate Future