NO KNEED FOR THIS
Gang Green loses WR Smith for 2017 season with torn ACL
While the Jets were celebrating a new draft class, they were lamenting the fate of a player they took just two years ago
Wide receiver Devin Smith, their 2015 second-round pick, tore the ACL in his right knee for the second time in 16 months. He will miss the 2017 season, and he might never develop into the player the Jets hoped he would.
Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan said they discovered the injury two weeks ago when the team began offseason workouts. They believe it may have occurred before that, though. An MRI exam that day showed the tear, and he needed surgery to repair it.
Smith battled back last year after tearing the ACL in a game against the Titans in December 2015, his rookie season. That came after he missed the beginning of that season with a punctured lung and broken ribs.
“In college, he never had much injury history,” Maccagnan said. “So, sometimes you do all this research and sometimes it’s just the nature of the business in terms of the players and getting injured. Sometimes it’s bad luck. Sometimes it’s unfortunate.”
Smith, who played at Ohio State, has played 14 games over two years, catching nine passes for 115 yards and one touchdown.
Maccagnan would not say whether the Jets will pick up safety Calvin Pryor’s fifth-year option for 2018 yet. The deadline to make that move is Wednesday. After the team drafted safeties in the first two rounds, it seems highly unlikely.
The Jets tried to trade Pryor and defensive end Sheldon Richardson during the draft. Now that the draft is over, the Jets surely will continue trying to move the players, but it becomes tougher. Maccagnan would not commit to Richardson being on the team.
“I would simply say Sheldon’s under contract,” Maccagnan said. “He’s part of our organization going forward. We’ll see how things develop over time. Again, he’s under contract. Going forward, that’s where we are with Sheldon.”