Billy Edwards Jr. injury update: Luke Fickell addresses Wisconsin QB's chances to play vs. Michigan

Billy Edwards status against Michigan during Week 6 remains up in the air to begin game week. The Wisconsin quarterback has been dealing with a nagging knee injury all season long.

Edwards specifically is rehabbing a knee sprain that occurred during the Badgers’ season-opener against Miami (OH). Backup quarterback Danny O’Neil has stepped in while he’s out. Edwards suited up during Week 4 against his former team, Maryland, but was subbed out before the end of the first quarter and did not return.

Following the bye week, head coach Luke Fickell revealed whether his starting QB will be able to go against Michigan on Saturday. It appears that the Badgers are being pretty cautious with him moving forward.

“We have to save him from himself. And in some ways, that’s probably what I would say I didn’t do (against Maryland),”Fickell said. “I didn’t save him from himself with that game wanting to play, expecting to play, preparing to play.

“The truth of the matter is he probably wasn’t in a position where he was ready to play. And you know, that’s what we got to do a better job of. That’s where when you ask, where is Billy, is he good? I don’t know right now. We’ve just got to be able to see, because that’s one of those things that each and every week, they’re better, but how much better are they? And can you test it during the week to figure out where they are, so you don’t get in a situation like we did against Maryland.”

Edwards did all he could to start against the Terrapins. After all, he was the Terrapins starting quarterback last season, completing 65% of his passes for 2,881 yards with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Maryland finished the season 4-8 overall. He ultimately spent three years with the program for 2022-2024 before moving on to Wisconsin during the offseason. However, his knee injury has kept him on the sideline for the majority of the early season.

Now at Wisconsin, the lingering knee injury has kept him from showcasing his skills to the Badgers faithful. He has yet to play a full game for Wisconsin and has just 16 passing attempts to his credit on the year — 13 of which came during the season opener.

However, after his knee flared up against Maryland, it’s clear the Wisconsin coaching staff won’t be keen on rushing him back. The good news for Edwards is that he was given an extra week to recover during the Badgers’ bye. His final status will be revealed in the days leading up to kickoff.