David Wilson expected to be cleared, will meet with doctors Monday

New York Giants third-year running back David Wilson suffered a scary, career-threatening neck injury last season in Week 5 against the Philadelphia Eagles on his lone touchdown of the season, and it capped off what was already looking like a disappointing season for the Virginia Tech product.

One of the league’s more explosive backs, Wilson was a high-upside, home-run threat in 2012 with an average of five yards per carry, but that numbered dipped to just 3.3 yards per pop last year. Every running back needs strong blocking, but this is especially true for speed backs like Wilson, who can’t use strength to break tackles and grind tough yardage. The Giants offensive line was anemic, and their failure to generate consistent push would have made it a lost season for Wilson anyway; the injury nearly made it a tragic year for Wilson.

Johnathan Franklin wasn’t so lucky, as his career-threatening injury has turned out to be a career-ending one, barring the sort of change of fortune that we are all hoping for. Meanwhile, Wilson is definitely on the mend, and I would be surprised if he isn’t ready by day one, especially with how optimistic people are starting to sound.

According to the New York Daily News’s Ralph Vacchiano, Giants owner John Mara stated that “all signs” are still pointing to Wilson being a “go”, and he could very well be ready for the early part of training camp. This is obviously great news, but Vacchiano reminds us that Wilson hasn’t been medically cleared just yet. Per Vacchiano, his next appointment with doctors is on Monday, which is the same day the Giants open training camp. Therefore, it’s possible he could be ready for the start of camp, and we’ll see how he is eased into things before he joins a deep backfield after the additions of Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams this offseason.