Jets’ Wilson out 2-4 weeks with knee injury
NEW YORK » Zach Wilson and the New York Jets appear to have avoided a preseason nightmare.
Wilson is expected to miss two to four weeks with a bone bruise and meniscus tear in his right knee, according to a person with knowledge of the injury. The person told The Associated Press the timeline for how long Wilson is sidelined will be determined by an arthroscopic procedure to repair the meniscus — the schedule for which is pending a second medical opinion.
It was initially feared that Wilson suffered a serious — and potentially season-ending — knee injury during the second offensive series of New York’s 24-21 preseason-opening win at Philadelphia on Friday night.
Tests after the game indicated the ACL was intact, and an MRI on Saturday morning revealed the exact nature of the injury. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced details.
The New York Post first reported Wilson was diagnosed with a bone bruise and meniscus tear that needs to be trimmed and not fully repaired. While Wilson and the Jets remain optimistic, they won’t know the full scope of the injury — and whether recovery could go beyond two to four weeks — until doctors operate on the quarterback’s knee.
There’s still a chance Wilson could be ready to play in the season opener against Baltimore on Sept. 11. If not, veteran Joe Flacco would likely start in Wilson’s place against his former team.
After going back to pass with 4:29 left in the first quarter, Wilson was flushed out of the pocket and scrambled to his right for 7 yards, but went down when he tried to juke past Philadelphia’s Nakobe Dean. He appeared to injure his knee when planting to cut on Philadelphia’s grass field.
Wilson was down for several minutes as doctors and trainers checked on him. He walked gingerly to the sideline and then to the locker room.
“He’s in good spirits,” coach Robert Saleh said of Wilson after the game. “He’s fine, a little frustrated, obviously, but he’s as good as you can be in this situation.” And he probably feels quite a bit better knowing his season isn’t already over before it even started.
Wilson’s progress in his second NFL season is the primary focus this year for the Jets, who took the former BYU star with the No. 2 overall pick last year. Wilson had a downand-up season that began with struggles and then a sprained PCL in the back of the same right knee, sidelining him for four games. But he came back and was solid down the stretch, not throwing an interception in any of his final five games.
Wilson finished his rookie year with nine touchdown passes and 11 interceptions. The Jets added several playmaking pieces around their young quarterback during the offseason — including wide receiver Garrett Wilson, tight ends C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin, running back Breece Hall — and he’s had a solid training camp this summer.
Browns backup QB Brissett moves into starting spot
CLEVELAND » Jacoby Brissett has jumped ahead of Deshaun Watson on Cleveland’s depth chart. Maybe for a while.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Brissett will take the majority of snaps with Cleveland’s first-team offense starting Sunday, a move necessitated by Watson’s pending suspension for violating the NFL’S personal conduct policy for sexual misconduct allegations.
Watson, who made his debut with the Browns by starting Friday’s exhibition win over Jacksonville, has been the No. 1 quarterback throughout training camp.
But he’s going to miss at least the first six regular-season games — and potentially more — so the Browns need to get Brissett ready for the Sept. 11 opener at Carolina.
Along the Browns’ offensive line, starting center Nick Harris will likely need season-ending surgery on his right knee that was injured on the second play of Friday night’s game.
Stefanski didn’t provide any details on Harris’ injury or test results. He said surgery was “likely” but that the team is continuing to gather information before finalizing plans.
Harris was dropping back into pass coverage when his right knee appeared to buckle while blocking a Jaguars defender. He laid face down for several seconds before being checked by medical personnel and carted off.
Ethan Pocic, who signed as a free agent in the offseason after five seasons with Seattle, replaced Harris.
NFL players union president blasts Soldier Field conditions
CHICAGO » The president of the NFL Players Association blasted the conditions at Soldier Field on Saturday, and he didn’t exactly get an argument from the Chicago Bears or Kansas City Chiefs after their preseason game.
Union president JC Tretter tweeted the field was not up to NFL standards.
“The NFL said that this field met minimum testing standards,” he wrote. “We clearly need to re-evaluate what is an acceptable surface for players to compete on. We need new testing metrics looking at the performance and safety of every field. The NFL can and should do better.”
Chicago quarterback Justin Fields said things were worse when the Bears practiced there Tuesday rather than at their suburban headquarters. He also said he tries to use the conditions to work in his favor.
As for the Chiefs’ quarterback, Patrick Mahomes threw for 60 yards and a touchdown on Kansas City’s first possession, then watched as his team lost to the Bears, 19-14.
Darnold has TD, Mayfield solid in Panthers opener
LANDOVER, MD. » Even though the Carolina Panthers are another day closer to announcing a starting quarterback before the beginning of the regular season, the first exhibition game did not do much to drastically change the status of the competition.
Sam Darnold threw a touchdown pass and Baker Mayfield was solid aside from a fumbled snap in Carolina’s 23-21 preseasonopening victory Saturday at the Washington Commanders.
Even if Mayfield appears to be the favorite after the Panthers traded for him and based on training camp, neither he nor Darnold separated himself in the race that might still take some more time to be decided before Week 1, Sept. 11 against Cleveland.
Titans swap out players, add defensive back, tight end
NASHVILLE, TENN. » The Tennessee Titans swapped out a couple of players, signing defensive back Deante Burton and tight end David Wells.
The Titans also waived defensive back Terrell Bonds and wide receiver Brandon Lewis.
Burton came into the NFL as a wide receiver when he joined Atlanta in 2017 as an undrafted free agent out of Kansas State. He has played 11 career games with Atlanta, Houston and Dallas with eight tackles and one forced fumble. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Burton started 35 of 48 games in college with 84 catches for 1,085 yards and five touchdowns.
Wells also was undrafted out of San Diego State in 2018 by Dallas, and the 6-6, 260-pound tight end finally made his NFL debut last season playing in three games with Arizona. He also has been with Kansas City, New England, Atlanta and Indianapolis.