New York Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley is currently dealing with a herniated disc in his neck, which will keep him out for a fourth consecutive game.
Mosley mentioned on Friday that surgery won’t be needed for the injury and that he is still considered “day to day.” He was able to do some light work on the practice field this week as the Jets prepared for their game against Indianapolis on Sunday. Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich hopes Mosley will be ready to return after the team’s bye week next week.
“Yeah, if I’m 100%,” Mosley said. “Other than that, I probably won’t be back until then.”
Mosley explained that the injury occurred after he gave a pregame speech to his teammates before the Jets played against New England on October 27.
“I was getting ready to go to our positional drills to start that warmup and I just felt like a burn down the back of my neck,” Mosley recalled. “Everything else just locked up after.”
The 32-year-old Mosley said doctors advised him to rest during the first week after the injury, and since then he has been undergoing physical therapy. He received an epidural shot last week and a facet block injection this week.
It’s been a tough season for Mosley, who was a Pro Bowl selection last year and a team captain. He has already missed three games this season due to a toe injury.
“Just disappointing, mainly from my perspective,” he said. “I want to be on the field. Whether we’re winning or losing. I want to be on the field helping and producing and doing what I can. This sport is all about production and there’s only so much you can do from the sideline. After a while, you just feel like a coach talking.”
Jamien Sherwood has been filling in for Mosley as the defensive play caller and has performed well. He had a career-high 17 tackles last week in the game against Arizona.
Mosley said his goal is definitely to return to playing — whether that’s this season or next.
“I know I’m in a position where I’ve played a lot of football, so me missing this time won’t hurt me as much as another guy that might need this opportunity,” he said. “It’s about safety. At the end of the day when I go home, I’m Clinton Mosley, I’m C.J., I’m not the football player.”
Mosley also shared that his perspective has changed since the injury, especially after recently becoming a father.
“Since this injury — I just had my daughter recently — so I had a full week of just having a normal neck and ever since then, any time I’m looking down, my neck’s hurting. So, that put things in perspective. There’s a lot of life after football. So when I’m done playing, I want to make sure I’m 100%.”
