Runyan Still Recovering From Microfracture Surgery

His old team, the Eagles, has moved on without him. But even if he still had a spot on the roster, offensive tackle Jon Runyan wouldn’t be ready to take to the field. Runyan had microfracture surgery earlier this year to repair a damaged knee. He’s still rehabbing. “I don’t worry about the situation,” Runyan told Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Ultimately, the biggest thing I have to do is get this knee right. There are 31 other slots where I can go play. Even if it’s not now, somewhere down the road there are going to be a wave of injuries, so I have to take care of what I can and let the rest work itself out.” It’s unclear when that will occur. “We’ve been in contact with a few teams,” Runyan said. “Everybody says the same thing: ‘What will you be able to do and when will you be able to do it?’ I don’t know that answer yet. I don’t know how my body is going to react to the next month. I have to get it right and when I do, people will be waiting for me.” Meanwhile, it sounds as if Runyan is thinking that maybe the Eagles have made the wrong decision in going with Shawn Andrews as the new right tackle, given his injury history. “He has missed more than two seasons in five years, so that is something you do have to worry about,” Runyan said. “I think sometimes he worries about how he’s going to feel down the road, and you can’t worry about those kinds of things. You have to go out and let it all loose. Don’t worry about that stuff because that’s not how you play the game. That’s how you get hurt, when you start worrying about that stuff.” Of course, Runyan got hurt without worrying about that stuff. He’ll be visiting Dr. James Andrews in early July, and Runyan is awaiting clearance to resume running and cutting. One team to watch is the Vikings, where former Eagles offensive coordinator Brad Childress is (at least for one more year) the head coach. Though Phil Loadholt was drafted in round two with the notion of making him the team’s right tackle, having Runyan on board for a year or two might provide a smoother transition.