The playing future of David Wilson remains very much in doubt.
New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese revealed Thursday that the running back will undergo neck surgery next week. Reese acknowledged the team doesn't expect Wilson to be ready for the start of the 2014 season.
"I don't think so," Reese told ESPN Radio, via the New York Daily News. "No. 1, we just want David to get healthy. If he gets healthy, that's a bonus. But I don't think we can go into next season saying, 'David will be ready to go. He'll be our No. 1 back.' Necks can be tricky. You have to be careful with those things."
The Giants confirmed that Wilson will have a fusion of the vertebrae to repair a herniated disk in his neck. He suffered the injury on a tackle in a New York loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 6. He was additionally diagnosed with spinal stenosis, or a narrowing of his spinal column.
"We're hopeful that David will be able to play for us again next year," co-owner John Mara said on WFAN-AM. "Time will tell on that one."
It's been a sharp and unfortunate career downturn for Wilson, who was widely predicted to be one of the NFL's breakout stars of the 2013 season. A slow start gave way to a serious injury, and now it's unclear if the 22-year-old even has an NFL career in front of him.
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