Dee Milliner has struggled with injuries through much of his short NFL career.
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Jets cornerback Dee Milliner will be sidelined indefinitely due to a noncontact injury suffered while on special teams. And it is another injury for Milliner, the team’s first-round pick from last year, who already has missed two games this season with injury.
The team announced in the first quarter Milliner suffered an ankle injury and was out for the rest of the game. According to Dr. Dave Siebert, second-year resident physician at the University of Washington and medical analyst for Bleacher Report, the injury was more consistent with one to the Achilles, not just the ankle.
“Milliner sharply pushed off the ground with his right toe, thereby driving his heel downward,” Siebert told Metro. “This injury mechanism stretches the Achilles tendon while the calf contracts and pulls on it. If the opposing stretch and contraction forces are too great, the tendon gives way and tears, as it appeared to with Milliner.”
Head coach Rex Ryan didn’t have much in the way of details after the loss, but he did confirm it was an Achilles injury.
“It’s an Achilles injury, so I’m not real sure [of a timetable],” Ryan said.
Milliner is likely done for the year if it is an Achilles tear.
Siebert said players typically recover well from these injuries.
“NFL players generally undergo surgery to repair Achilles tears,” Siebert said. “Non-operative treatment is a possibility, but surgery leads to a lower risk of reinjury. Unfortunately, Achilles injuries usually end a player’s season, as successful postoperative rehab courses usually require several months or more to complete. The long timetable stems from the fact that the Achilles is the strongest tendon in the body, and players must slowly work it back into shape to avoid a setback.”
Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.
