Fans won’t see Muhammad Wilkerson in Friday night’s Jets-Falcons preseason game.
The Jets defensive end remains sidelined with a left hamstring injury he suffered 2 ½ weeks ago. Wilkerson briefly returned to practice last week, but suffered as setback and did not play in the preseason opener in Detroit.
“I’ve seen progress,” coach Todd Bowles said. “He still has some work to do. Initially, a tweak to me means you’re out a day or two and you come back, but obviously it’s been bothering him longer than that. He’s getting the necessary help and he’s getting better.”
The Jets are thin at defensive end all of a sudden. Ronald Talley, who started against the Lions in Wilkerson’s spot, suffered a groin injury and missed practice Wednesday. Bowles said rookie Leonard Williams and veteran Stephen Bowen are the likely starters Friday night. Sheldon Richardson, who is suspended for the first four games of the season and has been working with the backups all training camp, may get some time with the starters Friday night due to the injuries.
Injured quarterback Geno Smith attended morning meetings Wednesday. Bowles said Smith may return to the team full-time when doctors clear him to do so.
Smith, whose jaw was broken last week by a teammate, will not be on the sideline Friday at MetLife Stadium. Bowles said it is his policy that injured players are not on the sideline to avoid overcrowding and possibly getting hit by players coming off the field.
The starting offense played a single series last week in Detroit and the starting defense played two. Both units will get more action this week.
“I would say most of the entire half,” Bowles said. “I’ll see how it goes in the second quarter, but they’re going to play a little bit.”
Training day
Nice picks
Cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie recorded interceptions on back-to-back plays on Wednesday. Sure, it was against rookie quarterback Jake Heaps, but they still got their hands on the ball.
Off target
Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has not looked impressive in practice this week. His accuracy has been off and some of his passes underthrown. Maybe he is just trying to find timing with receivers he did not work with before becoming the starter, but it is glaring at practice.
Caught my eye
Nose tackle Damon Harrison is a man of many talents. Everyone knows he is a great run-stuffer, but the 350-pounder also has a strong arm. He and defensive line coach Pepper Johnson had a passing contest early in practice Wednesday with “Snacks” showing off his passing ability.
Injury report
DE Ronald Talley (groin), TE Jace Amaro (shoulder) DE Muhammad Wilkerson (hamstring), OT James Brewer (back) and LB Erin Henderson (knee) did not practice. … WR Chris Owusu (concussion) was back in pads, but did not do anything in practice.