Derwin James Injury: Updates on FSU Safety's Recovery from Knee Surgery

Florida State safety Derwin James had surgery on Tuesday on his left knee to repair torn cartilage and is expected to miss at least a month to recover.

Continue for updates.

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Latest on James' Timetable for Return

Tuesday, Sept. 13

Head coach Jimbo Fisher said they "had to sew Derwin James's knee cartilage," which allowed them to save all the cartilage but puts his timeline for return at five to seven weeks, per Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated.

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James Injury Will Test Depth on Florida State Defense

It's potentially a huge blow for Florida State, especially with the high-octane offense of Louisville and star quarterback Lamar Jackson up next on the schedule. As Deen noted, FSU has used the versatile James in myriad ways in the defense, even as an edge-rusher at times. 

Deen speculated that A.J. Westbrook will likely start opposite of Trey Marshall at safety, while starting cornerback Marquez White could also fill in at the position. Nate Andrews is also an option once he returns from injury. And the team has depth at cornerback, where Marcus Lewis, Tarvarus McFadden and Levonta Taylor could all see time.

“I have no doubt in my mind about Derwin’s backups,” defensive end DeMarcus Walker told Deen. “We just got to get ready to play football.”

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