Eagles Need to Be Cautious with Ronald Darby at the Start of Next Season
Despite hitting the open market, the Eagles were able to retain Ronald Darby on a one-year deal. However, the decision to bring back Darby does come with some risk. Coming off of a torn ACL, the Eagles need to be cautious with Darby at the start of next season.
Darby was back on the field for some individual work during OTAs and mandatory minicamps, and Darby has even said that he is close to full speed in straight-line sprinting. Darby is making good progress in his recovery from the torn ACL he suffered on November 11, and he very well may be ready to go for week one, but his return shouldn’t be the end of the story.
This was something frequently discussed with Carson Wentz’s recovery from his torn ACL back in 2017, and it’s worth being brought up again with Darby being the most important of a few Eagles players recovering from a torn ACL.
A player is typically ready nine months after undergoing surgery to reconstruct the ACL, though some players recover differently from others. The one part of the timeline that is universal, though, is that it takes at least 12 months to be completely recovered after undergoing ACL surgery. Let’s go in depth some.
The reasoning behind this timeline all starts with the surgery. When one tears their ACL, the ruptured ligament can’t just be stitched together or repaired, it instead has to be replaced with a graft of a new ligament, or reconstructed.
In simpler terms, an entirely new body is being placed inside of the knee to play the role of the original, non-injured, ACL.
During surgery, there are a few things that have to happen. The first, as was just mentioned, is taking the graft of the new ACL, which frequently comes from the patellar tendon.
Then, in less-graphic terms, the torn ligament is shaved off in order to open up room for the eventual new ligament.
Eventually, the surgeon has to drill through the bones in the knee to create a new pathway for the ACL to reside and place in. Eventually, the new ACL is put into place and solidified in its spot with screws to ensure it doesn’t move out of where it needs to be.
Once the surgery is over, there is now a process that begins for the new graft in order for it to heal.
Post-surgery, the newly-created ligament is actually strongest right after surgery. Over the first 12-weeks post-op, the ligament slowly “dies”, before revascularization occurs and it begins to heal.
This is where what went on during the surgery becomes of importance.
Over the course of rehab, exercises are done in physical therapy to get both the knee and the muscles around it, including the quad, hamstring, and calf, stronger. Because there is a new ligament in place, it simply isn’t familiar with any of the movements of a normal knee.
Typically, exercises that slowly strengthen the quad, hamstring, and calf are done following surgery, and also fundamental knee movement drills as well. Over time, the new ligament gets more and more familiar with how it’s supposed to function, but that is just the start of it. It’s also one thing to be able to bend and stretch your knee normally, and it’s another to be able to run, cut and stop at will, pain, and injury free.
All of the muscles in the leg play a vital part of supporting every aspect of the leg, but in this situation, the ACL is of most importance. Once a patient is four months-post surgery, they are typically cleared to begin straight-lined running, and also more vigorous leg strengthening programs.
The quad plays the biggest role in maintaining the well-being of the ACL. The ACL most frequently tears, when the knee hyperextends, and having a strong quad, is the best way to combat the knee from doing so.
Tracing back to what Darby said; he said he is almost at full speed in his running, but he left it at just that. It’s one thing to be able to run in a straight line, and it’s another to be able to cut across a field.
Over these next few weeks, Darby will likely go into more intense exercises where he can cut, considering he is seven months post-surgery. However, his strengthening is far from over. His leg muscles also aren’t at 100% strength yet, which means they aren’t able to protect the knee as much.
What complicates the situation more if the fact that the bones in the knees had to be drilled through. In order for the bones to properly heal, there is a certain level of activity that has to be done to continue its recovery. At the same time, though, there is obviously limits to what a person can do while they recover from ACL surgery.
This means, over time, Darby will have to continue his gradual increase in activity in order for the bones to heal, and also to get his legs strong enough to protect his knee.
Once the nine-month mark post-surgery arrives, the knee is around 80% healed. Players are typically cleared for full activity at the nine-month point, which is why this time period is viewed as the most dangerous for a player. When a player gets on the field, they have the desire to do whatever it takes to help their team win, rightfully so, without considering the impacts it can have on their body.
For Darby, playing at 100% speed despite his recovering knee only being at 80% health would create a formula for a disaster. When week one arrives, it will be 10 months post-surgery, which helps his case, but he will still be shy of being at full health.
What makes it even tougher for Darby is that the position he plays, cornerback, involves some of the most cutting out of any position in the game. If he is thrown onto the field to play as the team’s number one cornerback, without any limitations, his risk of re-injuring the knee will increase.
Medically, Darby will not be at 100% until November, the one-year mark from when he tore his ACL. From kickoff on September 8 until then, the team has to do what’s in the best interest for Darby’s well-being and protect him. Darby also suffered a dislocated ankle in 2017, which caused him to miss more than half of the season before returning. He has had problems with injuries, and the ACL injury will only complicate that.
This was a situation we saw played out with Wentz. He returned in week 3, just shy of 10 months post-surgery. He wore a brace, and his knee didn’t get re-injured, but the weakness in the leg caused his back to torque more, spurring his season-ending back injury.
Again: Wentz and Darby are two different situations, but the Eagles can take a lesson from what they learned with Wentz’s injury.
The Eagles are more than capable of doing so as well, considering the depth they have at that position. However, Darby’s health is extremely likely to hamper what some hope to be a huge season from Darby; this isn’t to say Darby won’t play well when he’s on the field, but expectations for him should be lowered, including within the team.
Here’s a reiteration: Darby is making good progress in his recovery, but he is still a ways away. With week one being 10 months post-surgery, it is physically and medically impossible for Darby to be at 100%.
For the Eagles to get a full season out of Darby without him suffering another significant injury for the third-straight season, they will have to be cautious with him for the first half of the season or so.
Featured Image: Jerry Habraken/The News Journal
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Categorized:Eagles