Monday, January 21, 2013
Worthy's return timeline
By Tim Kavanagh
As the Green Bay Packers picked up the pieces last week, and looked ahead to the 2013 campaign, there were questions at various spots on the roster -- what would the O-line look like next fall? Who would be the starting RB? Would DC Dom Capers be back, after some rough performances by his defense in key games?
One player who is expected to be a part of the continued rebuild on defense in 2013 is D-lineman Jerel Worthy, a second-round pick (No. 51 overall) in the 2012 draft. Unfortunately, it appears he's had a setback that could diminish his early impact next season.
Following the Packers' loss to San Francisco on Jan. 12, Worthy indicated that he had a bone bruise in his knee. However, on Jan. 15, Packers D-line coach Mike Trgovac revealed that Worthy had undergone knee surgery, though he did not say what kind of surgery it was. Our NFL Insider Adam Schefter filled in the blank with a report on Sunday indicating that Worthy had ACL surgery with Dr. James Andrews.
Though Vikings RB Adrian Peterson made a seemingly miraculous recovery from his ACL surgery -- returning eight months later and having an MVP-caliber season -- this is not common. Trgovac indicated that Worthy will miss the entire offseason schedule of practices, and this could threaten the Michigan St. product's availability for the initial weeks of the 2013 regular season.
