Placing Willie Colon on IR was 'one of the hardest things' Todd Bowles had to do

It was one of the hardest things Todd Bowles has had to do.

On Wednesday, the Jets placed starting right guard Willie Colon on injured reserve because of a chronic knee issue. And truthfully, the organization had no choice.

Bowles said on a Friday conference call that the swelling in Colon's knee was so severe, he had trouble even standing on the field for the duration of practice. The swelling has been an issue since their Week 7 loss in New England, Bowles said, adding that Colon "couldn't really practice" in the week leading up to last week's home-win over Jacksonville. "It got to the point where he couldn't wait anymore. Not practicing and not playing, and keep getting your knee drained, it wouldn't let him continue."

Colon, 32, has dealt with chronic knee pain during his three seasons with the Jets, but neither he nor the team indicated how serious this injury was. The Bronx native, and Hofstra alumnus, underwent arthroscopic knee surgery before training camp and later suffered a sprained MCL in the Week 3 loss to the Eagles. He missed the next game against the Dolphins and also sat out last week's game against the Jaguars.

"It's been a bad knee for a while," Bowles said. "He's been controlling it pretty good, but it took a turn for the worse. And we really didn't have much choice in that."

Colon, a former Super Bowl champion with the Steelers, hasn't addressed reporters since he was placed on injured reserve. As of now, it's unclear if the 10-year veteran is considering retirement. But one thing is certain, Bowles said: Colon "eventually" will have to have surgery on his knee.

"He's played a long time. And that's probably one of the hardest things I've had to do, because he's such a warrior," Bowles said of telling Colon he was going on IR. being placed on IR. "Knowing a guy has to go out like that, you never want to tell a guy that he has to go on IR and can't play, especially since he's played a ton of years."