NEW YORK (ABC4 Sports) – Former BYU star Zach Wilson injured his right knee during the first quarter of the New York Jets first preseason game Friday night, but the injury is not as bad as first feared.
Wilson suffered a meniscus tear and bone bruise in his right knee, and is expected to miss 2-4 weeks.
Wilson could be back in time for the Jets season opener against the Baltimore Ravens, although that seems unlikely. Wilson will undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair the meniscus, which is being reported as not a complete tear.
Wilson went down in the first quarterback after hitting the turf without being touched by a defender. Scrambling out of the pocket on the Jets’ second series, he tried to cut inside to gain more yards. He limped to the locker room, but was seen without a brace after the game. Jets head coach Robert Saleh said Wilson got “greedy” and should have run out of bounds.
The second overall pick out of BYU in 2021 had made significant progress during training camp after a brutal rookie season in which he threw 9 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Wilson suffered a sprained PCL in Week 7 last year, which cost him four games. He didn’t have surgery and played the remainder of his games with a brace.
Joe Flacco will assume the starting quarterback job for the Jets while Wilson is out.