Jets Star Garrett Wilson In Concussion Protocol; Week 9 Status In Doubt

New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson is in the concussion protocol, and it’s uncertain if he’ll be available to play Sunday on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs. Head coach Aaron Glenn said Wednesday that Wilson is day to day after the team’s No. 1 receiver was injured in the closing moments of New York’s 38-33 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday. Wilson took a helmet-to-helmet hit from Raiders safety Jeremy Chinn on a 15-yard catch and Chinn was called for unnecessary roughness. Wilson stayed in and was Geno Smith’s intended target in the end zone on the next play when Chinn came up with a game-sealing interception. Glenn said Wilson came to the facility Monday, apparently feeling some effects from the hit, and was placed in the protocol. Not having Wilson on Sunday would be a huge blow for the Jets (2-6), who have dropped three in a row and face a Chiefs team coming off a disappointing 28-24 loss on the road to the Denver Broncos. Wilson has 43 catches, tied for the most in the AFC and ninth in the NFL, for 527 yards and three touchdowns. His 63 targets are second in the AFC, though he was frustrated the last few weeks by his sporadic usage in games and in crucial moments. Against the Raiders, Wilson had six receptions for 83 yards on a team-high 12 targets. Adonai Mitchell had seven catches for a career-high 142 yards and a touchdown in his second game back after missing four with a finger injury that required surgery. If Wilson is out, Mitchell and rookie Omar Cooper Jr. – who was held without a target after consecutive 100-yard receiving games – likely would be counted on to pick up the slack in the passing game. Isaiah Williams, Tim Patrick and rookie Malik McClain are also on the active roster. Sterling Shepard, Jamaal Pritchett and Joseph Manjack IV, who was signed Wednesday, are on the practice squad. There’s some potential good news for the Jets’ offense, which could get running back Breece Hall back after he missed the last five games with a quadriceps injury. Glenn said Hall would be limited at practice but is “trending in the right direction – as are tight end Mason Taylor and edge rushers David Bailey and Joseph Ossai, who are dealing with injuries. Taylor was banged up against Las Vegas, while Bailey (groin) and Ossai (ankle) missed the game. Hall’s return could present an interesting situation for Glenn and offensive coordinator Frank Reich. Braelon Allen has had a breakout season in Hall’s absence, rushing for more than 100 yards in three of his last four games. Glenn has maintained since the summer that he was excited to use Hall and Allen as a 1-2 punch out of the backfield. “Both guys will play,” Glenn said when asked how he anticipates using them moving forward. Safety VJ Payne, a seventh-round draft pick out of Kansas State, had his 21-day practice window opened Wednesday. Payne suffered a bone bruise during training camp and missed all of the preseason and was placed on injured reserve before the start of the regular season. Reporting by The Associated Press.