dee milliner jets 8/10/14

Dee Milliner has endured a rough start to his career. (William Perlman | The Star-Ledger)

PHOENIX -- In about two months as the Jets' head coach, Todd Bowles hasn't gotten a chance to sit down with any of his players and talk football. NFL rules prohibit it at this point in the offseason.

Once those conversations begin, Bowles will surely speak with cornerback Dee Milliner, a former first-round draft pick, about taking the next step in his injury-plagued career. Despite Milliner's struggles through two seasons, Bowles, a former NFL safety and defensive backs coach, remains optimistic about Milliner's potential.

"Really, for Dee, it's his health," Bowles said Tuesday at the NFL's annual meeting. "You've got to get him healthy. Everything else, we know the guy can play. He's a No. 1 pick. I liked him coming out of Alabama. We've just got to get him healthy and he's got to become a pro. Every rookie that comes into the league, there's a time and point where they have to learn to become a pro, whether they're learning from the older guys or whether they just get it themselves. The injuries have held him up. That's all."

The Jets drafted Milliner ninth overall in 2013. Milliner had a history of injuries in college, but mostly played through them. A hamstring injury limited him to 13 games in 2013, when his play was uneven, but improved in December. Last season, he sustained a high ankle sprain in training camp, returned from it in Week 2, but then torn his Achilles tendon in the Jets' sixth game, ending his season after just three games played.

Milliner probably won't be ready to return until at least training camp. He will begin his third season having played just 16 total career games. But Bowles doesn't want to label Milliner injury prone just yet.

"I still think it's too early in his career to tell," Bowles said.

With the Jets adding three new cornerbacks in free agency -- Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie on the outside, with Buster Skrine in the slot -- Milliner's role in 2013 remains uncertain, though Bowles has historically played a lot of nickel packages.

In 2013, Pro Football Focus rated Milliner 68th out of 110 cornerbacks in the NFL, including 87th in coverage ratings. Still, Bowles is encouraged by Milliner's talent.

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"Every player has flaws," Bowles said. "He's got promise. He just has to get healthy. It's hard to coach a player that's not healthy. Hopefully, he can get healthy and really show what he can do. I've seen guys come into the league and have the injury bug. I've seen guys come into the league and start off injured, and become a heck of a ball player. [When Milliner] gets healthy and he gets back out there, let's see what he can do."

Despite Milliner's lack of production to date, the Jets have no plans to trade him. Nor should they, since it would be a foolish decision at this point in Milliner's career, for several reasons. Bowles said Tuesday that he "definitely" expects Milliner to remain with the Jets for at least 2015.

Darryl Slater may be reached at dslater@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DarrylSlater. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.