Jerry Reese On WFAN: David Wilson To Undergo Neck Surgery

NEW YORK (WFAN) -- David Wilson had a nightmarish season for the Giants in 2013.

The 22-year-old running back fumbled twice in the season-opening loss to the Cowboys, and a neck injury ended his season prematurely following New York's Week 5 loss to the Eagles.

Instead of breaking out in his second season in the NFL, the former first-round pick took a significant step back.

Now he'll undergo surgery in an attempt to be ready for the 2014 season.

"He's planning to have surgery, and we'll see how that comes out," Giants general manager Jerry Reese told WFAN host Mike Francesa on Thursday. "Our medical staff feels like he'll be ready to play this fall, but the neck and back are pretty tricky. So you never know. Jason Pierre-Paul had a back (issue), and he was just a shell of what he was a couple of years ago."

Wilson wasn't effective in the five games he appeared in this season. He never rushed for more than 55 yards in a game, and finished the year with 146 rushing yards on 44 attempts and a touchdown. He also caught two passes for eight yards and returned nine kickoffs for 222 yards.

"You can't go into the season saying, 'Well David, he'll be healthy and ready to go,'" Reese told Francesa. "But we saw in the preseason a couple of times (that) he can be a dynamic player, he can by a dynamic kick returner and you can throw a short pass to him and he can make a big play with it. But right now, we're just trying to get him healthy and get him back out there."

Pierre-Paul underwent back surgery to remove a herniated disc this past summer and then suffered a shoulder injury on November 10 against the Raiders. He played in just 11 games in 2013, recording 27 tackles with two sacks and an interception. He missed the final five games.

Reese is hoping that JPP will again be the dominant player he was earlier in his career.

"He's one of the guys that we depend on to be a difference-maker, a game-changing kind of guy," Reese told Francesa. "He's one of those guys that we expect to be that for us ... Another year away from the back issue, from the back surgery, should make him even stronger. So we truly hope he comes back to be the Jason Pierre-Paul that we like."

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