New York Jets Training Camp Profile: Muhammad Wilkerson
New York Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson was a Pro Bowl player in 2015. Now he is trying to bounce back from a disappointing 2016 season.
New York Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson is facing a very important season as training camp rapidly approaches. Now 27 years old, the 6-4, 305-pounder is in the prime of his career and is being counted on to be one of the stalwarts of Gang Green’s talented defensive line.
Let’s take a look at his profile before training camp commences on July 28.
2016 season recap
The University of Temple product suffered through one of the worst seasons of his six-year career. Wilkerson recorded just 4.5 sacks, his second-lowest season total and a far cry from the 12 he had the year before. His 33 solo tackles were the second fewest of his career as well.
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Wilkerson broke his right leg in Week 17 of the 2015 season and you really have to wonder if that had an adverse effect on his performance last year. He was not as effective against the run as he had been in previous campaigns and he was downright invisible on the field at times. The explosiveness off the line was just not there. Wilkerson just wasn’t himself as he explained to the team’s official website:
"“That was my first major injury,” he said. “I didn’t have the get-off and change of direction. Just running, I was sometimes in pain in the game.”"
It was a year to forget, no doubt.
2017 Season Outlook
The Jets are hoping that this coming season will be a lot sunnier for the former Pro Bowler (2015). Again according to the team’s website, Wilkerson said his leg feels “way better now than it did last year at this point.”
That’s great news for the Jets because they need him to help anchor a defensive front seven that includes Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams, two players with enormous upside. If Wilkerson is 100 percent healthy, there is no reason to doubt that he can perform at a Pro Bowl level once again. His sack totals should increase and his performance against the run should vastly improve as well. He is an excellent run-stopper, one of the best on the team.
Jets fans will be keeping a watchful eye on Wilkerson during training camp to see how he looks as he nears full health again. Which leads us to camp.
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Training Camp Forecast
Success for Wilkerson is all tied to his health and it appears he is making solid progress recovering from his broken leg. Training camp is just around the corner and he’ll be watched closely to see if he begins to regain his old form during various drills. Expect Wilkerson to be worked in slowly at the start of camp and then his reps should be ramped up more as preseason games approach. It’s a huge year for him to prove he can be a dominant NFL lineman again.