Tag: achilles

Report: Dez Bryant talking to clubs about a tryout, Ravens named as possibility

The former Cowboys WR has been working on his comeback; now with tryouts open again, he may get that chance with the Baltimore Ravens.

Former Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant may indeed get his wish for a return to the National Football League. Cowboys fans hoping for a reunion with his former club, however, may be out of luck.

NFL insider Josina Anderson is reporting Bryant may be close to securing himself some workouts, now that the league has eased up on regulations put in place regarding free agent visits. Bryant, of course, has been lobbying hard to make a comeback after an Achilles tear ended his tenure with the New Orleans Saints after literally a matter of days. Anderson reports that Bryant is now in talks with the Baltimore Ravens “and some other teams” about an in-person tryout.

UPDATE: Bryant is confirmed to be working out for the Ravens this week, via NFL Network’s Jane Slater.

Bryant was a first-round pick for Dallas in 2010. After eight successful seasons and three Pro Bowls, he was cut prior to 2018’s training camp.

He sat out the first half of the 2018 regular season, reportedly spurning an offer to play in Cleveland. He was signed by the Saints in November of that year, but ruptured an Achilles tendon in just his second practice with the team.

After a grueling rehab that he often documented on social media, Bryant announced his desire to return to the NFL. He focused on a small handful of clubs, including his former employers in both Dallas and New Orleans.

There had been legitimate hope of Bryant returning to Dallas, with owner Jerry Jones even fanning the flames on more than one occasion. The selection of Oklahoma wideout CeeDee Lamb in the 2019 Draft threw some water on that fire. When Jones then talked Lamb into wearing Bryant’s old jersey number, the last ember seemed to be extinguished.

The league had shut down free agent visits in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but announced just last week that they were lifting those restrictions.

Coincidentally or not, Bryant tweeted the following two days after that news release:

It will be hard for many Cowboys fans to see Bryant finally suit up for another squad after so many memorable moments in Dallas. But he’s worked his tail off to even be in a position to talk realistically about a comeback, especially at a position where most players see their skills fall off the edge of a table and never return. Bryant deserves the chance to go out and prove himself, and maybe even throw up the X a few more times.

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Report: Sheldon Rankins on track to be ready for Saints training camp

The New Orleans Saints reportedly expect to see defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, an injured co-starter, on the field for training camp.

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Here’s a big piece of offseason news for New Orleans Saints fans: NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins is working towards a training camp return from surgery last December. This was the third lower-leg injury Rankins has suffered in his first four years in the NFL, and this report suggests an answer for why Rankins has struggled so much with Achilles tendon issues.

Underhill also reported that Rankins deals with Haglund’s Deformity, basically an enlarged bone spur on the heel that puts added tension on the Achilles tendon. That constant irritation results in athletes who are more prone to rupturing that tendon, which Rankins experienced late in the 2018 season. In 2019, the Saints medical staff noticed that his other leg was at heightened risk for the same injury, and recommended he undergo preventative surgery.

Because Rankins chose to go under the knife again so soon rather than after the season, he’s benefiting from both that decision and the abbreviated recovery timeline that follows this procedure (as opposed to a full-on ruptured tendon). It all means that he should be back in action when the Saints meet for training camp, which usually kicks off in late July but may be delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. It’s a situation to watch out for.

So what does this mean for Rankins’ role in 2020? If everything goes the way it’s supposed to, he should again play as a co-starter with David Onyemata at the three-technique position, seeing about 30 to 38 snaps each week. That leaves plenty of room for nose tackle Malcom Brown and backups like Shy Tuttle and Mario Edwards to rotate into the game.

But if Rankins suffers another setback or is outplayed in training camp by another lineman, it’s possible he ends up seeing a reduced role. The Saints have enough depth up front to where he shouldn’t start ahead of a better player just because of his draft status or the success he found several years ago. In a contract year and with his injury history, it’s time he stood out for the right reasons.

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Report claims mutual interest between Cowboys, Emmanuel Sanders

Dallas may be looking to fill the hole left by Randall Cobb’s departure with a Super Bowl champ who has local ties to the Metroplex.

The loss of Cole Beasley in 2018 stung… until the Cowboys brought in longtime Packers receiver Randall Cobb to take over the slot role. With Cobb leaving Dallas this week to take a job with the Texans, it felt like deja vu all over again. And just as the name-recognition of Beasley’s replacement eased the pain of losing a fan favorite, the first candidate mentioned to assume Cobb’s freshly-emptied locker would sure be a spoonful of sugar to help the news of his departure go down.

NFL Network’s Jane Slater is reporting that there is mutual interest between the Cowboys and two-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champ Emmanuel Sanders.

Sanders’s local connection to the Dallas area has caused rumors before. Two years ago, while in Denver, Sanders caused a bit of a stir when he let it be known that, should he and the Broncos part ways, he would love to suit up for the Cowboys. He even liked a tweet at the time suggesting that Dallas would be an ideal landing spot for him.

The Broncos-Sanders divorce didn’t happen until midway through the 2019 season, when the former third-round draft pick was sent to San Francisco in a trade. If there had been questions about Sanders and the torn Achilles he had suffered in Denver in 2018, the then-32-year-old answered them quickly. In just his second game as a 49er, Sanders caught seven balls on nine targets for 112 yards and a touchdown. A few weeks later, he went seven-of-nine again for 157 and a score.

Sanders turned 33 on Saint Patrick’s Day. He’s still known as a precise route-runner who can turn on the jets when needed. He’s versatile enough to line up in the slot or as a true wide receiver. And he has excellent hands.

It is not out of the question that San Francisco could convince Sanders to stay with the 49ers. Other teams like the Saints and Redskins have reportedly engaged in conversation with him as well.  On paper, he would seem to be a tantalizing option for Dak Prescott’s air attack.

And, of course, a Sanders signing doesn’t necessarily preclude either the drafting of a collegiate speedster… or the welcoming back to the Cowboys fold of a certain No. 88.

A receiving corps that includes Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, Emmanuel Sanders, and Dez Bryant is admittedly a lot of fun to think about. Except maybe for opposing defensive coordinators.

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Seahawks expect to have tight end Will Dissly back by Week 1

The Seattle Seahawks reportedly expect to have star tight end Will Dissly back from his Achilles injury by Week 1 of the 2020 season.

The Seattle Seahawks expect tight end Will Dissly to be healthy by Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season in the wake of his Achilles injury that ended his 2019 campaign.

The report comes from Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, who said the Seahawks expect Dissly to complete his rehabilitation in time for the start of the year.

“My understanding is they fully expect in Seattle for Will Dissly to be healthy and ready to go by Week 1 next season,” Pelissero said.

Coach Pete Carroll stated at the end of the season that Dissly’s rehab was already proceeding smoothly. This is great news for the Seahawks, who recently signed veteran TE Greg Olsen to bolster the unit.

Dissly has been a force of nature when healthy, but he has suffered two season-ending injuries in a row and has only played 10 games throughout his two-year career.

The Seahawks could certainly use a full season of Dissly alongside their other offensive weapons in Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf and Chris Carson among others to reach their full offensive potential with Russell Wilson at the helm.

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WATCH: Kevin Durant shares frustrations with rehab process in Twitter Q&A

Kevin Durant continues to rehab his right Achilles seven months after it ruptured during the 2019 NBA Finals.

Kevin Durant continues to rehab his right Achilles seven months after it ruptured during the 2019 NBA Finals. Tuesday evening, the two-time Finals MVP opened up about his mentality during rehabilitation.

Durant took over The Boardroom Twitter account, answering questions from fans.

Someone wrote in asking Durant about the hardest part of recovering from the injury, the fan explaining that he tore his own Achilles in August and was looking for perspective.

“Just the everyday grind, some days I get irritated by how slow the process is, some days I miss playing, some days I want to do more than I’m allowed,” Durant replied. “Then there’s the physical side, lifting weights and getting used to movement after 6 months off… It gets better every day but it’s good to have patience…Wishing u well on the road to recovery.”

The former Warriors star is not expected to take the court this season with the Nets (18-21), who he signed with during free agency.

Brooklyn head coach Kenny Atkinson recently evaluated Durant’s progress positively and may have given fans hope that the star is ahead of progress, but the coach reiterated last week that he doesn’t think there’s been any thought toward playing KD in the next few months.

Durant’s own insight Tuesday seems to say the same.

Yuriorkis Gamboa sustained complete Achilles tear, to have surgery

Yuriorkis Gamboa suffered a complete right Achilles tear, according to a medical report he posted on his Twitter account Monday.

Yuriorkis Gamboa claimed that he ruptured his right Achilles tendon in the second round of his lightweight bout against Gervonta Davis on Dec. 28. It appears he was right.

According to a medical report posted on his Twitter account, the Cuban lightweight sustained a “complete tear through the Achilles tendon with associated retraction of approximately 3.0 cm.”

The injury was diagnosed by radiologist Dr. Eric M. Godreau in Miami, where Gamboa lives.

Gamboa’s advisor, Tony Gonzalez, told ESPN.com that the fighter will have surgery in the next several weeks.

“That he was able to fight for as long as he did with this injury is incredible,” Gonzalez told the website. “From everything I have read and videos I have watched about this kind of injury, he wasn’t supposed to be able to do what he did. Speaking to him in my office when the dust settled, I asked him, ‘How were you able to do this?’ He told me when he went down in the second round is when he felt the pain. He said the shot [from Davis] didn’t put him down. He said he was fine. He said, ‘What put me down was I felt a snap in the back of my leg. When I got up, I started looking at the back of my leg.’ It’s amazing. I’m without words.

“He wasn’t supposed to even go to the third round with this kind of injury. If he is at 100 percent, connect the dots. We believe a rematch is warranted. He couldn’t move laterally the way he wanted to, couldn’t sit down on his punches. Gamboa at 100 percent wasn’t even supposed to last four or five rounds. But he had a Grade 3 rupture and went to the 12th round. I’ve never seen anything like it with this type of his injury. We are not trying to tarnish what Gervonta did but Gamboa feels being 100 percent it would have been a completely different fight. He knows it, I know it, Davis knows it.”

 

How Gamboa managed to go 11-and-a-half rounds on a bum Achilles is anyone’s guess. If nothing else, the report boosts Gamboa’s considerable moxie in that fight. Conversely, it further underscores Davis’ less than impressive performance in an otherwise successful promotion in his adopted hometown of Atlanta. Although Davis ended up knocking out Gamboa in the 12th round, the hard-hitting Baltimore native appeared lethargic at times and unable to put away a fighter long past his prime.

Not surprisingly, Gamboa called out Davis for a rematch, writing, “I went 12 with Davis and did my best under the circumstances. Like I said, lets dance again when I’m at 100.”

Sheldon Rankins has options, but likely to end 2019 with ankle injury

The New Orleans Saints are still holding out hope but defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins is likely to end the 2019 season with an ankle injury

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Bad news comes in pairs for the New Orleans Saints these days. Just hours after starting defensive end Marcus Davenport’s season was reported to be over with a foot injury, reports flooded in saying that defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins is likely to close out the year with an ankle issue. While Rankins is considering every possible, options, there doesn’t appear to be a path for him to return to play this year. Both defensive linemen were injured in Sunday’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

The first report of Rankins’ murky status came from John Hendrix of Sports Illustrated; NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport confirmed it to be a significant injury. The easy excuse to point to in this latest lower-leg injury for Rankins would be his quick return from last year’s ruptured Achilles, but Nola.com’s Luke Johnson clarified that Rankins injured his right ankle, while that Achilles injury occurred in his left leg. They aren’t related problems.

These are a series of blows to New Orleans’ deepest position, which is the only silver lining to the situation. The Saints have run so deep along the defensive line that Taylor Stallworth, a player who logged 365 snaps a year ago including the playoffs, was demoted to the practice squad. He’s likely to get called up should Rankins go on injured reserve, as is expected.

Still, there’s no other way to spin this: it’s a big setback for Rankins, who has battled hard to help his team and stay on the field after injuries limited his first few years in the NFL. His rookie season was abbreviated after he broke his leg in training camp, and the Achilles tear obviously ended his 2018 campaign. Now, he’ll be finishing 2019 with more time in the trainers’ room. It has to be frustrating for him, but he’s proven he can bounce back before. It’s not for nothing that his teammates chose him for the 2019 Ed Block Courage Award. Here’s to a speedy recovery.

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