New York Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley, who has missed five of the past six games due to a severe groin injury, will be sidelined another five or six weeks -- which could put his season in jeopardy.
Mosley "might have the opportunity to come back," coach Adam Gase said Monday, but it depends on a variety of factors.
"For us, it's better to leave him on the roster, kind of see where we are when we get to that point, see where we are with our season and make a determination after that," Gase said.
The best-case timetable puts them into early December, when the Jets (1-6) figure to be playing meaningless games. At that point, it might be wise to shut him down.
Mosley, who suffered the injury in the season-opening loss to the Buffalo Bills, opted for no surgery at this time. He has consulted with specialists as the injury lingered longer than anticipated.
The Jets, gutted by injuries at middle linebacker, started their fourth-string player in Sunday's 29-15 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars -- James Burgess, who was signed off the practice squad for the game.
Mosley's injury was termed week-to-week, but he wound up missing four games. He returned for the Week 7 game against the New England Patriots, but he aggravated his groin and was pulled in the fourth quarter.
So far, Mosley, who signed a five-year, $85 million contract after leaving the Baltimore Ravens, has played in only six quarters.
The Jets have another injury that bears watching, as quarterback Sam Darnold is dealing with a sprained left (non-throwing) thumb. It happened in Jacksonville, but he never came out of the game -- a second straight poor performance.
On Monday, Darnold called it a "pain-tolerance thing," insisting he will be fine. He threw three interceptions against the Jaguars, giving him seven over the past two games.
"This is going to be one of those things that's going to bother him all year, but it looks like he's going to play through it," Gase said.
The Jets, who face the winless Miami Dolphins on the road, could get some key players back, namely tight end Chris Herndon (hamstring) and left tackle Kelvin Beachum (ankle).