Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Marquess Wilson suffered a broken collarbone during Monday’s practice. The up-and-comer was the front runner for the third wide receiver position. It’s certainly a setback for Wilson, but it’s not a complete loss. Aaron Rodger broke his collarbone (actually Shea McClellin helped him with that), but he was only out about 7 weeks. Rodgers let his injury heal naturally, while Wilson had surgery to repair his collarbone. It doesn’t sound like it’s going to be a season-ending injury, but there is still no timeline for his return, as GM Phil Emery addressed the media on Tuesday morning:
"“Like most injuries, everyone is individual,” Emery said. “Let’s see how he heals and we’ll make decisions moving forward based on that and how he progresses.”"
Typically, the injury is about 8-12 weeks, so I’d expect him to be back no later than Halloween. In the meantime, Wilson is not an option for the PUP list since he already started practicing this preseason. It’s possible he could be put on the IR list designated to return. Hopefully there are no other significant injuries so that spot is available. Each team is only allowed one IR/Designated to Return player.
It’s unclear who will step into the #3 wide receiver role. I outlined some “in house” options for who could step in while Mike Flannery will take a look at some external candidates to fill the role.