Jets notebook: Todd Bowles discusses injured secondary

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – It wasn’t a good day for the New York Jets secondary, who lost cornerback Dee Milliner for the first month of the season and waived safety Antonio Allen following his Achilles injury on Thursday.

It is yet another significant setback for Milliner, a player beset by injuries for much of his two years in the league. He just returned to the practice field this week following an Achilles injury last year that sidelined him much of the season.

Head coach Todd Bowles confirmed that Milliner had surgery on Friday, this after Milliner nearly completed Thursday’s practice with the injury. For a player criticized for being soft, the fact that he went through practice with an injury requiring surgery answers questions about his toughness.

“They said he came out towards the end, but he practiced most of it. He thought it was a sprain so he kept going,” Bowles said. “I think when they finally pulled him out after all was said and done, we didn’t know about it until he got X-Ray’ed and everything else. He had to get surgery.”

Then there is the case of Allen, the fourth-year safety who was firmly on the Jets two-deep. He suffered an Achilles injury on Thursday that caused him to limp off the field.

The Jets waived him on Friday morning, meaning that if he passes waivers he could be placed on Injured Reserve.

“It was a tough break for him, he was having a good camp. The guy comes to work, he practices right, plays hard. Freak accident,” Bowles said.

→ Jets Notes

In addition to all the injuries already mentioned in the secondary, Chris Owusu got dinged. The wide receiver has been the star of training camp and went off the field after a knock to the head.

“Owusu got dinged up in the head a little bit, I’m not sure what happened after that,” Bowles said. “I know he went out a little woozy.”

→ It was a strong day for wide receiver Saalim Hakim, who rose well to grab a deep pass from Bryce Petty. It was a strong day for the speedy receiver as well as for Petty, the fourth round pick who had his best day of training camp on Friday.