Mo plans to play
Muhammad Wilkerson’s shoulder injury will likely linger for the entire season, but the Jets defensive lineman doesn’t anticipate missing any games.
Wilkerson revealed Wednesday he is dealing with a Grade 1 acromioclavicular joint sprain in his shoulder, which he suffered in the Jets’ loss to Oakland in Week 2. He missed two days of practice last week before playing 39 of 63 defensive snaps in the home opener Sunday against the Dolphins. Wilkerson sat out practice again Wednesday.
At this point, it’s a matter of managing the pain. Both Todd Bowles and Wilkerson expect that process to be a season-long affair.
“It’s football. That’s what comes with this business,” Wilkerson said. “We just got to take care of it each and every day, and hopefully it feels good come Sunday.
“I’m going to play through it. I’m going to do whatever I can for my brothers out there. I want to be out there.”
Wilkerson finished with just one total tackle in Sunday’s victory over Miami and hasn’t recorded a sack through three games this season. But Bowles thought Wilkerson “played well” in the Jets’ first win of 2017, and it’s clear the 2011 first-round pick helped spark the team’s run defense, which held the Dolphins to 30 yards.
Bowles said Wilkerson’s relatively low snap count was because of a defensive-line rotation and not the shoulder injury.
“I’m not going to go out there on Sunday and be worried about it,” Wilkerson said of the shoulder. “I’m going to go out there and do my job.”
However, Bowles said Wilkerson is experiencing significant pain when engaging offensive linemen.
“When it gets hit, it hurts,” Bowles said. “He hits every play up there up front.”
So what does this mean for Wilkerson’s production?
It’s an interesting question considering the Jets have the option of cutting Wilkerson after this season to clear $11 million in cap space.
Wilkerson is coming off his worst season since his rookie