There’s no good time for an NFL player to tear an ACL, but if you’re hoping to be ready to play in time for the next season it is always better for it to happen earlier rather than later in the season.
That’s particularly true for a player who is headed for free agency like running back Danny Woodhead was after tearing his ACL in the second game of the 2016 season. The Ravens weren’t put off of signing Woodhead because of the injury and they won’t have to wait for him to get back to practicing without restrictions either.
“Yes, I’m back. No restrictions,” Woodhead said, via the team’s website. “I’m just playing football now. I haven’t been thinking about needing to do stuff to rehab it because I’m healthy now. It’s exciting to get football going.”
Woodhead said he feels “there’s some rust” as a result of the injury, but is otherwise “pretty similar” to how he was before getting hurt. That should bode well for his chances of taking on a big role out of the backfield in Baltimore, especially with Kenneth Dixon set to miss the first four games while serving a suspension.