Dee Milliner said he was fine after briefly leaving the field to get his hand taped up Monday.
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After a team designated off day on Sunday, Jets cornerback Dee Milliner nearly brought Twitter crashing down on Monday morning when media reports indicated he was carted off the field with an injury to his left hand. It turns out it was nothing at all.
The No. 9-overall pick in this past April’s NFL Draft, Milliner reported to training camp four days late due to a contractual holdout. Having already missed the on-field portion of offseason workouts and June’s minicamp as he rehabbed from shoulder surgery this spring, Milliner already came into training camp a bit behind the rest of the defense.
“I was fine. I just had to get somebody to tape up my fingers,” Milliner said. “I was good though.”
Coming off the holdout, Milliner was limited in his first practice as the Jets sought to ease him back on the field following his rehab stint. He possesses the kind of physicality that is an ideal fit for press coverage, a coveted commodity in head coach Rex Ryan’s 3-4 scheme. Milliner’s selection in April coupled with a strong showing during training camp means fourth-year cornerback Kyle Wilson, himself a former first-round pick, could lose his starting job to the rookie from Alabama.
After a solid performance in Saturday’s Green and White scrimmage, it seems Milliner has caught up to speed with the rest of his teammates, despite Monday’s very minor injury. The acclimation process, he says, was slight.
“Oh yeah, it wasn’t really much. You know after the first week or so, I was good. I was caught up with everything,” Milliner said. “It’s just getting out there and doing more reps now and doing more plays and getting more into it as we go.”
Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.
