New York Jets host Miami Dolphins in NFL Week 15 action

Muhammad Wilkerson walks on the sideline in the fourth quarter as the New York Jets lose to the the Miami Dolphins 34-13 in NFL Week 15 action at MetLife Stadium. 12/17/16 East Rutherford, N.J. (John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

FLORHAM PARK -- Well, file this one under the mind-boggling category.

On Thursday, Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson finally opened up about his injured ankle, stemming from offseason leg surgery, which has been plaguing him throughout the season.

The stunning part? Wilkerson said the Jets' training staff had no "game plan" for rehab early in the year. It took them until midway through the season to get one.

"There should have been one," Wilkerson said. "There wasn't. There's one in place now. That's all that matters."

Despite having offseason surgery to repair a broken fibula, Wilkerson received the lion's share of the defensive reps to begin the year. Heading into Week 6, he had played an astounding 299 of the Jets' 309 defensive snaps (97 percent).

His production? Eh, at best.

After recording 12 sacks in a Pro Bowl season in 2015, Wilkerson had just 19 tackles and 1.5 sacks in the Jets' first six games. Thursday, he indicated injuries played a role in his sluggish start.

"It wasn't feeling the way I thought it should feel," Wilkerson said. "I knew I wasn't moving around the field like I feel I'm capable of doing."

Multiple times in October, reporters asked coach Todd Bowles if the Jets considered, or would consider, limiting Wilkerson's playing time. Despite Wilkerson telling a reporter he wasn't 100 percent on Oct. 20, Bowles denied there was any correlation between his on-field struggles and abundance of reps.

"If we saw it affecting his play, yes," Bowles said the same day. "But it hasn't affected his play yet. He's going to sore here and there throughout, which is going to be maintenance regardless of what he does during the game. It can be 50 snaps, he'll still be sore after the game. That's just normal."

Wilkerson said when he initially had the surgery, his doctor told him it would be roughly a calendar year before he returned to form. Still, the training staff, according to Wilkerson, let him take the field without any limitations after missing a portion of training camp, and the majority of the preseason.

"Like I said," Wilkerson said, "It's my first major injury. It was new to me. Once the doctor said it was fine, we figured it was good.

"Point is, there is a game plan intact now. My ankle is feeling good now. I'm happy with that. The trainers are happy with the progress I'm making. That's it."

This season, Wilkerson has 54 tackles and 3.5 sacks. The Jets awarded Wilkerson with a five-year, $86 million contract extension back in July.

Connor Hughes may be reached at chughes@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connor_J_Hughes. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.