theJetsblog -- Jets DE Muhammad Wilkerson returned to practice on Wednesday -- less than a week after being benched and not traveling with the team for their game against the Saints in New Orleans.
Head coach Todd Bowles has not yet decided if Wilkerson will play against the Chargers on Sunday, but told reporters that if Wilkerson is kept out, it won't be related to discipline.
Wilkerson was very late to the Jets' facility last Friday, which is why he was benched, a source told SNY's Ralph Vacchiano.
Wilkerson spoke with his teammates earlier this week and told them he let them down. However, when asked if he had earned his contract from the Jets, he said he had earned "everything."
Bowles announced the benching last Friday, saying it was a 'coaching decision' -- not injury-related.
Wilkerson had returned to the Jets' facility on Monday, with Bowles saying he was going to keep the situation internal.
Earlier this month, a day after he benched Wilkerson for most of the first quarter because he showed up late to a team meeting, Bowles said he still considers the 28-year-old defensive end a team leader.
It was the third straight year he had been benched for being late to a team meeting.
But Bowles said Wilkerson and linebacker Darron Lee, who was a healthy scratch from the Jets' 38-31 win over the Chiefs for showing up late to practice, have "earned a lot of trust."
"You make a mistake, and you lose a little trust, and you just have to earn it back," Bowles said at the time. "So going forward, we'll go from there."
Last year, Bowles benched Wilkerson for a quarter in a game against the Miami Dolphins for a "coach's decision" when Wilkerson showed up late to a team meeting that week. A week prior, he missed a team walkthrough. Later in 2016, Bowles and Wilkerson reportedly met to address responsibility.
Head coach Todd Bowles has not yet decided if Wilkerson will play against the Chargers on Sunday, but told reporters that if Wilkerson is kept out, it won't be related to discipline.
Wilkerson was very late to the Jets' facility last Friday, which is why he was benched, a source told SNY's Ralph Vacchiano.
Wilkerson spoke with his teammates earlier this week and told them he let them down. However, when asked if he had earned his contract from the Jets, he said he had earned "everything."
Bowles announced the benching last Friday, saying it was a 'coaching decision' -- not injury-related.
Wilkerson had returned to the Jets' facility on Monday, with Bowles saying he was going to keep the situation internal.
Earlier this month, a day after he benched Wilkerson for most of the first quarter because he showed up late to a team meeting, Bowles said he still considers the 28-year-old defensive end a team leader.
It was the third straight year he had been benched for being late to a team meeting.
But Bowles said Wilkerson and linebacker Darron Lee, who was a healthy scratch from the Jets' 38-31 win over the Chiefs for showing up late to practice, have "earned a lot of trust."
"You make a mistake, and you lose a little trust, and you just have to earn it back," Bowles said at the time. "So going forward, we'll go from there."
Last year, Bowles benched Wilkerson for a quarter in a game against the Miami Dolphins for a "coach's decision" when Wilkerson showed up late to a team meeting that week. A week prior, he missed a team walkthrough. Later in 2016, Bowles and Wilkerson reportedly met to address responsibility.
