It was not an ideal rookie year for New York Jets wide receiver Devin Smith as another injury, a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), will be ending his 2015 season abruptly.
Smith had in an injury-plagued year as he dealt with a number of physical setbacks in training camp, preseason (missed all games), and even in the early parts of the regular season (unable to play in three games).
But the ACL injury sustained in Sunday's win over the Tennessee Titans was the final blow that will keep him out of action for the season.
According to ESPN, the 23-year-old suffered the injury while covering a punt and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) last Monday confirmed the torn ACL which requires surgery.
The Jets' second round draft pick this 2015 will finish the season having nine receptions for 115 yards and one touchdown in 10 games played.
Smith struggled to mesh with the Jets' offense early in the season but started to find his groove in their recent games.
Jets head coach Todd Bowles is feeling for their rookie receiver and told reporters in a conference Monday, "It's a tough break for him."
Bowles then gave a sign of optimism, adding, "He was coming along, and he was starting to play faster. He was finding his place in the offense. But he's a young guy, and hopefully we can get it done and he can come back stronger next year."
The Jets, who had a number of offseason issues and were searching for consistency early in the 2015 season, are playing well as of late and are on a three-game winning streak.
New York holds an 8–5 record for the second spot in the American Football Conference (AFC) East, just behind the defending champions New England Patriots who are at 11–2.
Next for the Jets will be a matchup with the struggling Dallas Cowboys for Week 15 action.
