Don't You Forget About Me: Injured NFL Players Back for Stardom in 2018
The 2017 NFL season sure felt like a particularly bad one in terms of injuries to star players. As a result, the 2018 NFL offseason has sure felt like a particularly busy one in terms of monitoring the recoveries from said injuries.
The heart of that offseason will wrap up with next week's draft. Then, offseason programs kick off throughout the league, and training camps open in three months.
With that in mind, this feels like an appropriate time to check in on key injured NFL players who are hoping to recover in time to experience bounce-back campaigns in 2018.
Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson
1 of 11
Prior to suffering a season-ending knee injury in November, Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson was running away with the Offensive Player of the Year award. The No. 12 overall pick out of Clemson led the NFL with 21 total touchdowns and had 269 rushing yards to go with his 103.0 passer rating, while the Texans had scored at least 33 points in five consecutive games.
Five months removed from surgery to repair a torn ACL, the 22-year-old appears to be on track to return for the start of the 2018 season.
"I like where he is right now," Texans head coach Bill O'Brien told PFT Live earlier this month. "I don't think that he'll be able to do much on the field in the beginning of the offseason program. He'll be working with the trainers on the field, but not with us.
"I think by the time OTAs roll around he may be able to do a few things with the team. We're going to incorporate him into some of the things we're doing during Phase 2 and make sure everybody's around him and he's around everybody else. We're not going to rush it. Obviously, training camp is the ultimate goal for him, to be in there during training camp. I do feel like by the end of the spring he'll be able to do a few things with the team."
Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz
2 of 11
The Philadelphia Eagles ultimately won the Super Bowl without franchise quarterback Carson Wentz last season, but they probably wouldn't have been in a position to make that championship run if not for what the Pro Bowl signal-caller did between September and early December.
When Wentz suffered a torn ACL and LCL in Week 14, he had a ridiculous 33-to-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and the Eagles had scored more than 30 points in six of their last seven games. The 25-year-old finished the year with the fourth-highest passer rating and the best QBR in football.
Wentz might have been the league's MVP had his season not been cut short, but matters could be made worse by the fact he suffered that knee injury so late in the year. Eagles head coach Doug Pederson has already said Wentz won't do individual work this spring, according to Philly.com's Zach Berman. But Berman reports Pederson is "very encouraged" by his quarterback's recovery.
"The Eagles continue to be confident that Carson Wentz will be healthy enough after Dec. 13 knee surgery to play the Sept. 6 NFL opener," wrote Peter King of The MMQB last month.
It'll probably still be tight, but if Wentz can return in time and protect himself better, he should be back in Pro Bowl form by the time the leaves begin to fall.
Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck
3 of 11
It's tough to put stock into positive reports regarding Andrew Luck's bad shoulder, because the Indianapolis Colts quarterback was supposedly on track with his recovery from early-offseason surgery at this time last year and we all know how that panned out.
The three-time Pro Bowler hasn't been himself since 2014 and hasn't thrown an NFL pass since 2016, but he has begun throwing non-NFL-sized footballs, per Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star and Albert Breer of The MMQB. Holder reports that the 28-year-old doesn't believe he'll need additional surgery, ESPN.com's Mike Wells reports that Colts general manager Chris Ballard has no doubt his franchise quarterback will be ready for the 2018 season, and Mike Chappell of CBS Indianapolis reports that owner Jim Irsay believes Luck has "turned the corner."
Reports, reports, reports. We'll believe it when we see it, but if Luck can indeed put it all together health-wise this offseason, there's a good chance he'll finally be able to pick up where he left off with a stellar third NFL season in 2014.
After all, he's still one of the most naturally talented passers in football, and he's yet to turn 29.
.jpg?w=256 "NFL Draft Football")
.jpg?w=256 "Texans Giants Football")
.jpg?w=256)
Houston Texans DE J.J. Watt
4 of 11
While there's little reason to believe young quarterbacks like Watson and Wentz can't recover and re-establish themselves as budding stars, and while Luck still has plenty of time to get it together because quarterbacks have long shelf lives, there has to be a little more concern about Texans defensive end J.J. Watt.
Watt is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year on the south side of age 30, but he's missed all but eight games the last two years. It's natural to wonder if he simply hasn't aged well.
After playing with torn muscles in his torso, groin and upper legs in 2015, Watt underwent three surgical procedures (including two on his balky back) in 2016. He returned at the start of the 2017 season but was then sidelined by a left tibial plateau fracture in October.
Is his body breaking down? His head coach doesn't believe so.
"J.J.'s doing really well," Bill O'Brien said late last month, per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. "J.J. has a great attitude. He's a very positive guy. He's been in a great mood the whole offseason about where he's at."
"Obviously, (he's) working very hard," O'Brien added. "I would tell you that watching him and seeing him in the building every day, I would never bet against J.J. Watt. (He) is a generational player in this league, and he'll be back. He'll be back to full strength."
We're talking about a guy who had 17.5 sacks despite playing with torn muscles throughout his body in 2015. Rule nothing out.
New York Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr.
5 of 11
There's been so much buzz surrounding superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.'s future with the New York Giants that it's easy to forget the three-time Pro Bowler is still recovering from the significant ankle injury that ended his 2017 campaign in October.
But as footage on the All-American Bowl's Twitter account reveals, Beckham looked pretty OBJ-like while working out at UCLA last week.
Still, Dr. David Chao noted in the San Diego Union-Tribune that, based on the video, the 25-year-old has some work to do.
"But the video also indicates Beckham is not 100 percent yet," wrote Chao last week. "He runs well but makes no strong cuts off his left ankle. Beckham moves smoothly through cones but makes rounded turns and is not seen making hard one-step cuts on the surgically repaired ankle. With the early-season injury, he is now more than six months into recovery. This type of injury carries a six- to nine-month timeline, which puts OBJ in good position to be fully ready for the start of training camp."
This was a freak injury, so there's little reason to believe Beckham won't be back and as good as ever in 2018, regardless of who he's playing for at that point.
New Orleans Saints WR Cameron Meredith
6 of 11
One talented young receiver coming off a major injury who is definitely switching teams this offseason is Cameron Meredith, who after three years with the Chicago Bears jumped to the New Orleans Saints as a restricted free agent last week.
Meredith isn't as accomplished as Beckham and is recovering from a much more serious injury (he tore the ACL and LCL is his left knee in August), but if he can get healthy in time for the 2018 season, the 6'3" receiver could do some damage on the field with Drew Brees and Co.
He's a wild card because he's an undrafted free agent without a 1,000-yard season or a Pro Bowl on his resume, and because Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Bears didn't match the Saints' offer because of doubts about the 25-year-old's injured knee.
But Meredith did not look like an unpolished Illinois State product when he caught 68 percent of the passes thrown his way for 888 yards and four touchdowns as part of a terrible Bears offense in 2016. He excelled that year as a big, clean route-runner, despite being targeted by a horrendous group of quarterbacks, and 372 of those yards and half of the touchdowns came in the final four weeks of the regular season.
The Saints must see something in him, and they must believe that knee can heal. If that's the case, this could be a big year for him.
Will he be 100 percent in time for the start of the season?
"That is my goal," the horse's mouth told SiriusXM NFL Radio last week. "I don't see any reason why not right now."
Minnesota Vikings RB Dalvin Cook
7 of 11
The expectations are high for Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook in 2018, despite the fact the 2017 second-round pick has played in just four NFL games and is recovering from a torn left ACL.
Cook was just that good in his first four games as a Viking, picking up 444 scrimmage yards on 85 touches while averaging 4.8 yards per carry (a mark which ranked fifth in the league at the time). Only Kareem Hunt and Todd Gurley accumulated more yards from scrimmage during the first four weeks of the year.
Per Pro Football Focus, only Hunt forced more missed tackles during that span.
Will he be healthy enough to pick up in 2018 where he left off in 2017?
"Dalvin is ahead of schedule," Vikes head coach Mike Zimmer said at the NFL owners meetings late last month, per the team's official website. "I think that he’ll be doing some things in OTAs. He won’t be doing everything, but he’ll be getting back into football as we go."
Baltimore Ravens G Marshal Yanda
8 of 11
Steady Baltimore Ravens guard Marshal Yanda had been to six consecutive Pro Bowls before a fractured ankle ended his 2017 season in Week 2.
Yanda will turn 34 early in the 2018 season, but the expectation is he'll be back on the field in the right guard spot for a Ravens offense that needs his stable presence. ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley reported at the end of the regular season that Yanda "likely won't be on the field again until training camp but he should be healthy before then."
According to Pro Football Focus, Yanda didn't surrender a single sack or quarterback hit in 2016. If he's even close to as effective in 2018 as he was before his injury, he'll be a potential All-Pro.
New England Patriots LB Dont'a Hightower
9 of 11
The New England Patriots made the Super Bowl last year despite the absence of veteran linebacker Dont'a Hightower, who one year prior was a Pro Bowler and a hero in Super Bowl LI.
Hightower was sidelined by a torn pectoral muscle in October, but it appears he's almost fully recovered. Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reported in February that the 28-year-old is expected to be good to go for training camp, and he was present when the team kicked off its offseason program this week, according to Bernd Buchmasser of Pats Pulpit.
Hightower hasn't played 16 games since 2013, so injuries are always a concern. But if the pec is healed, he should be a Pro Bowl candidate again in his seventh NFL season.
San Francisco 49ers CB Richard Sherman
10 of 11
Veteran cornerback Richard Sherman looked as though he was on track to make a sixth consecutive Pro Bowl before a ruptured Achilles ended his seventh NFL season prematurely in November. It sort of felt like Sherman's body finally gave in after he missed zero games during his first six seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, especially because he also went under the knife to remove a bone spur from his other heel while recovering from Achilles surgery.
Is it an indication the potential Hall of Famer is declining at the age of 30? Or was that merely a speed bump for a superstar who just might excel while playing under an incentive-laden contract in a new environment?
He may have more support with his new team, the San Francisco 49ers, than he would have received from the reloading Seahawks. If he can get and stay healthy, he could once again be a force in the NFC West in 2018.
The good news is Sherman said in his introductory press conference in March that he expects to be back on the field in May or June, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area, and he's already been spotted dancing up a storm and taking jumpers.
Kansas City Chiefs S Eric Berry
11 of 11
Veteran Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry was coming off arguably his best season as a pro when the then-28-year-old ruptured his left Achilles tendon in the first game of the 2017 regular season.
That's the bad news. The good news is the three-time first-team All-Pro suffered that injury so early in the year that he's had plenty of time to recover prior to the 2018 season.
Back in February, Berry's agent, Chad Speck, shared video of his client working out, noting that Berry's "Achilles is looking good" and that "he will be back better than ever." And sure enough, as Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith pointed out, Berry was in attendance as the Chiefs started their offseason program on Monday.
.jpg?w=480 "NFL Draft Football")
.jpg?w=480 "Texans Giants Football")
.jpg?w=480)
.JPEG?w=480 "Super Bowl Football")
.jpg?w=480 "NFL Draft Football")
.jpg?w=600 "Mel Kiper's Lowest Draft Grades ❌")
.jpg?w=600 "Deion's Message to Pavia 💯")
