If it were up to the masses, every NFL player coming back from injury would be capable of being what they were when they were injured on the first day of getting back on the field.
The reality is that it simply doesn’t work that way.
That was evident this week after there was virtual dancing in the streets when Arizona Cardinals rookie defensive lineman Darius Robinson was designated for return from injured reserve and wide receiver Zay Jones had his five-game suspension lifted by the NFL.
Fans were already projecting how much Robinson and Jones would be able to help their position group in Sunday’s game against the Packers.
Not so fast, dreamers.
It didn’t take long for those fantasies to be shredded when Robinson experienced some discomfort in his injured calf and Jones tweaked his hamstring during their first day of practice Wednesday.
Both won’t play Sunday with Robinson remaining on injured reserve and Jones under a roster exemption, which expires Monday.
No matter how badly guys want to play, the team has to be smart about things. Cornerback Max Melton told Cards Wire he thought his early training camp groin injury would sideline him for two days and it turned out to be close to two weeks.
Head coach Jonathan Gannon said what’s important is communicating with players.
He said, “All of those guys come from a place of being team-first guys. They want to help the team, they want to get out there and play with their teammates and help us win games. But you have to manage it. It’s one step at a time, one day at a time.
Asked how hard it is for someone like Robinson, a first-round pick frustrated with not being able to compete.
“He’s excited to play. He wants to put on a jersey and play football,” Gannon said. “He understands where he’s at and what his role will be moving forward and he’ll embrace that.”
Being smart means not having a player come back too soon and then aggravating the injury that can result in even more time on the sideline.
The last time both Robinson and Jones were on the field was the final practice on Aug. 22, five days prior to the cutdown to players. That’s seven weeks ago.
“That’s a lot of time,” Gannon acknowledged. “You got to get your sea legs back a little bit. We have a really good return-to-play (plan) and everybody’s different. Those two guys are completely different cases, so you gotta have some adaptability with how you’re doing that, but our performance team’s awesome. And just understanding that there’s gonna be known-unknowns as those processes go. You have to deal with them and do what’s best for the player first and then what’s best for the team.”
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