The mental aspect of recovering from an Achilles tendon tear can be as onerous as the physical aspect of it—something Carolina Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson attested to on Monday.
Following this morning’s installment of training camp, the 27-year-old spoke with reporters about his journey back from a torn Achilles.
“I feel great,” he said. “I spent a lot of time throughout this process just thinkin’ like, ‘Man, am I ever gonna feel the same? Am I ever gonna have the same ability? So just bein’ out here and just feelin’ back to normal, just feelin’ back good and just movin’ around and being back with the guys—it’s just a blessing.”
But is he still the fastest player on the team? And is he really faster than fellow LSU Tiger DJ Chark? Well, he certainly thinks so.
“Still the fastest on the team,” he said with a smile. “DJ can go, though. He can go. But I can go go.”
Jackson, who missed the final eight games of the 2022 campaign, was later asked about the toughest part of the recovery.
“The hardest part is getting your mental back,” he replied. “It’s obviously physical, right? But the hardest part for me was just gettin’ out of that dark hole, just gainin’ my confidence back and just knowin’ I’ll be able to go and follow guys’ No. 1’s again and I’ll be able to go out there and just play meaningful reps again. That probably was the biggest thing for, ’cause I spent a lot of time not believin’ I was gonna be able to do that.”
Luckily for Jackson, there’s plenty of self-belief left.
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