Ward was one of three players cut by the Jets on Tuesday as the team begins to winnow down its 90-man offseason roster. The 25-year-old will now look to land with a new team where he can compete for a depth role at defensive end this preseason.

While everything went according to plan with the surgery, prior timeline estimates of 2-4 weeks may not have accounted for the possibility of a severe bone bruise or the Jets' reported desire to take a cautious approach with their second-year quarterback. Howe says it's "not entirely out of the question that Wilson could operate on accelerated timeline" and play Week 1, but it doesn't sound especially likely, with Adam Schefter of ESPN reporting that Joe Flacco is "in line to start the regular-season opener" against Baltimore.