Report: Russell Wilson underwent ‘minor’ knee scope after 2022 season

Russell Wilson didn’t miss a game due to injury in his first nine NFL seasons. In his last two, he’s missed five games — three in 2021, two in 2022. Injuries finally caught up to him.

But an injury that didn’t cost him a game resulted in a recent surgery, as reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Wednesday, Rapoport tweeted that Wilson underwent what was termed a “minor” arthroscopic procedure on his knee after the season.

#Broncos QB Russell Wilson had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee following 2022, a procedure to fix an issue that had nagged him for a few seasons. He is back working out and throwing after the minor scope and should be fine for OTAs. He'll be at full health for 2023.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 22, 2023

A knee issue that lingered over multiple years provides at least a partial explanation for why Wilson’s mobility doesn’t match what it was during his younger years, along with the natural passage of time and the accumulation of wear and tear from over a decade of absorbing hits in the NFL.

But at the same time, Wilson looked more spry in the Broncos’ final two games of the 2022 campaign. That followed the installation of Justin Outten as play-caller and Jerry Rosburg as interim head coach. They changed the emphasis of the offense to allow for Wilson to move more, and the result was his best two-week stretch as a Bronco.

Watching from afar at the time, Sean Payton noticed.

“It wasn’t the type of season he wanted to have. I feel like the last couple of weeks, we saw a little bit more of maybe what we were expecting or accustomed to,” Payton said at his first press conference as Broncos head coach.

Getting Wilson back to health and mobility is crucial for the Broncos in 2023. And for Wilson, this is particularly crucial, since Payton noted last month that with all players — including Wilson — he and his staff will emphasize playing to their strengths.

And for Wilson, that means movement.

“Although [quarterback] is a much more visible position, it’s the same case and the same goal for us with every player on this roster. What do they do well?” Payton said last month. “It’s easy to point out what players don’t do well, and there are certain coaches that tend to look at it that way. I kind of was taught early on, ‘Hey, what is it they do well? Let’s have them do those things.’

“… None of us want to be at a karaoke bar with a song we don’t know the words to. How do we how do we get them comfortable and highlight their strengths? That’s the process that’s going to begin right now. I’m learning about every one of these players, not just Russell.”

And knee surgery to clear up an issue offers the best chance of Wilson playing to those strengths.

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