The Jets got cornerback Dee Milliner back in the lineup against the Packers last week after Milliner missed a good chunk of time with a high ankle sprain, but Milliner didn’t finish the game after he felt the ankle tighten up in the second half.
That’s created some uncertainty about his ability to play against the Bears on Monday night and that uncertainty will only grow now that quad tightness has been added to the ankle injury as the reason why Milliner missed practice on Friday.
The Jets have an extra day to prepare for Chicago, but they’ll need to think long and hard about the risks involved with Milliner playing given the frequency that he’s been banged up in his short NFL career. Having him on Monday to help defend Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery would be ideal, but not if he’s too compromised to play at a high level and the move could come back to haunt them if Milliner aggravates an injury during the game.
As evidence of the potential for a setback, the Jets need only look to wide receiver Eric Decker. Decker missed practice again with the hamstring injury that he aggravated last Sunday, which isn’t a great sign for his chances of playing even though coach Rex Ryan said, via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, that the wideout didn’t have to practice in order to play.
