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According to David Drew of MLive.com Broncos sophomore receiver Jamie Wilson suffered a broken ankle in a closed portion of practice Monday. Head coach P.J. Fleck announced the injury Tuesday morning and said Wilson is expected to miss at least eight weeks because of the injury.
"It was just a freaky accident," Fleck said in the MLive.com article. "He already had surgery. We got him in right away and now he's on the road to recovery. We're going to attack it like he's going to come back and we'll re-evaluate it when he's ready."
Fleck wouldn't rule out the possibility of red shirting the 2012 MAC Freshman of The Year, but told Drew he expects Wilson to be back in eight to nine weeks. Wilson led the Broncos in receiving in 2012 with 67 receptions for 792 yards and six touchdowns. He came in at No. 23 on our list of the Top 68 returning MAC Football Players of 2013.
His loss is a huge blow to a Western Michigan team that keeps taking hits. Earlier this fall the only returning starter on the offensive line went down for the season, and most recently senior running back Tevin Drake was suspended indefinitely following his arrest earlier this month.
Losing Wilson for any amount of time, especially if it becomes the entire season is a huge blow to the offense. The Broncos have depth at wide receiver (five of their next six leading receivers from 2012 are all back). But losing someone with Wilson's potential changes the dynamic of the offense.
Fleck told MLive.com that he's thinking bigger picture, and won't rush Wilson back. "Obviously, it's better to break something than tear an ACL. He has a shot, but I'm not going to rush him back for a year and ruin a year. I look at it like I could have Jaime Wilson for three more years after this year," Fleck said.