Tennessee Titans wide receiver Justin Hunter suffered a lacerated spleen in yesterday’s game against the Houston Texans, as he tried to stay in the game but had to leave for the hospital. Hunter is still spending tonight in the hospital as he recovers, but, per the Titans official Twitter account, head coach Ken Whisenhunt stated that the second-year Tennessee product is “doing well” and will likely be released from the hospital in a day “or so”. This is definitely good news, but Hunter is a lock to miss this week’s game against the New York Giants.
It will be interesting to see if the Titans decide to place Hunter on the injured reserve, since this is a severe injury and the team isn’t playing for anything meaningful this year. That said, having Hunter will help them have a better chance of evaluating Zach Mettenberger, particularly on deep throws and jump balls, and it would also obviously allow them to have more tape on Hunter going into what will be a critical offseason before his third year in the league.
This is a severe injury, so we can only hope that Hunter continues to progress well and can return at some point this season. He has 28 receptions for 498 yards and three touchdowns this season, as he has been as explosive as expected and knows how to make an impact in the red zone. That said, Hunter is also one of the most raw receivers in the league, but I’m sure most people expected that from him.