NEWSLETTER
The NFL preseason is here. And while there is a certain amount of excitement that comes with the return of football, injuries to key players will temper that for some.
Things were already off to a rough start for Jets quarterback Zach Wilson when he threw an interception to end his first offensive drive. But later in his 2022 preseason debut, the second-year quarterback went down with an injury while scrambling:
Oof! None of that is good. The apparent non-contact knee injury. Needing the helping hand from a teammate to get up. Liming off the field. It’s not great. Not one bit.
During the regular season, I’d probably have left this news to an Around The League post. In there, I would dig into the big-picture fallout. Remember, Wilson was part of the 2021 NFL Draft class that also included Bears signal caller Justin Fields. And the Jets play the Bears later in the year, so we’d want to track his status anyway. But with the Bears set to make their preseason debut tomorrow, news of Wilson’s injury puts some things in perspective.
I don’t think the Bears will veer from their plan to play regulars and starters 15-20 snaps in tomorrow’s exhibition lid-lifter against the Chiefs. But I can’t help but wonder if Head Coach Matt Eberflus would change his tune after seeing the Wilson injury or the dirty hit Eagles QB Jalen Hurts took in the same game:
There was much hand-wringing over Matt Nagy’s preseason plans during his tenure as Bears head coach. But at the heart of his line of thinking is that he was hoping to keep his regulars healthy for Week 1 of the regular season. And even though I think that tact might’ve been a bridge too far, maybe he was onto something? Possibly? Perhaps the proper preseason playing time is something found in the middle ground. In any case, we’ll monitor the wire for updates regarding Wilson’s injury. Hoping for some good news to come his way.
