The Jets cornerback corps looks like a potential trouble spot for the defense this year and that likelihood will only grow if a pair of injuries at Sunday’s practice prove to be serious ones.
Dee Milliner and Dexter McDougle are both headed for MRIs after going down during practice. Milliner hurt his left ankle and Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports that he was unable to put any weight on it while being helped off by trainers. McDougle, a third-round pick, hurt his knee and things were even thinner with Dimitri Patterson out for a second straight day with calf and ankle issues.
“We’ll see how bad those injuries are,” head coach Rex Ryan said. “When those things happen, it’s unfortunate. You got to move on. But again, we’ll see who’s out. ... Now who plays their place? I got to find out who’s still out there?”
Milliner’s rookie year was marred by a variety of injuries and Patterson’s annually banged up, so putting those two at the top of the depth chart always carried some risk. If Milliner, who played well against the Colts, is out for any extended period, the Jets are going to be seriously tested at corner because Patterson looked miscast on the outside and Kyle Wilson, Darrin Walls and Ellis Lankster aren’t any better bets.
UPDATE 2:52 p.m. ET: The news is in on McDougle and it isn’t good. The Jets announced that he’s torn an ACL and will almost certainly miss the season as a result. McDougle missed time at Maryland in 2013 with a shoulder injury, so he’ll have a lot of rust to shake off come next year.