Jets provide ominous new update on Braelon Allen's knee injury

The New York Jets are bracing to be without running back Braelon Allen for the foreseeable future after the second-year standout suffered a knee injury in the team's Week 4 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported after the game that Allen had suffered an MCL sprain and was expected to be placed on the injured reserve, sidelining him for a minimum of four games.

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn was asked to provide an update on Allen's status when speaking to reporters on Wednesday, and while he insisted the team hasn't decided any plans yet, his words of choice were certainly ominous.

Glenn told the media that Allen's knee injury is considered "pretty serious" and that he's seeking a second opinion to get further clarity on the severity. That's probably not the update Jets fans were hoping to hear.

Jets say Braelon Allen is dealing with a "pretty serious" knee injury

Allen suffered the injury while returning a kickoff in the first half of Monday night's game. The Jets curiously turned to Allen as one of their kick returners despite both his importance to the offense and his overall lack of experience in the role.

That decision was heavily criticized at the time and looks even worse now with the benefit of hindsight. The Jets are preparing to be without Allen for at least a month, although Glenn stopped short of confirming the team would place him on IR.

Allen was just beginning to find his groove as a downhill, change-of-pace back in this Jets offense, too. The Wisconsin product had carried the ball 12 times for 67 yards on an impressive 5.6 yards per attempt over his last three games.

The unfortunate reality is that the Jets don't have a viable replacement on their roster, either. Breece Hall figures to take on an even larger bell-cow role in the offense, while Isaiah Davis will likely be elevated to more than just his regular third-down duties.

Kick returner Kene Nwangwu could return as soon as this Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, while the Jets also have Lawrance Toafili on their practice squad. Expect to see at least one running back roster transaction prior to Sunday's game, likely as a corresponding move to Allen going on IR.

The expectation is that Allen's injury is not season-ending, but Glenn's words on Wednesday didn't inspire much confidence from Jets fans. He seems likely to miss considerable time.

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