Former Eagles WR blames medical staff for lingering injury issues

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Jordan Matthews' 2017 season was hindered by an injured thumb and a chest injury, but the Bills' wide receiver blames the Eagles' medical staff for his lingering injuries.

In a Sirius NFL Radio interview Tuesday, via The Buffalo News, Matthews said "two really bad diagnoses" by the Eagles' doctors didn't catch a need for surgery to repair damage to his knee and ankle.

"I think the worst and most frustrating thing about the whole situation was, when I got to Buffalo, I was still dealing with the things that I had to get surgery on," Matthews. "But I had two really bad diagnoses on the knee and the ankle, so going into the trade, I thought they were both things that were going to heal on their own. But once I got around Buffalo's doctors, they got me in touch with the right people and then I got really good feedback.

"We ended up finding out there were other things that I was dealing with, so the thumb was definitely upsetting, the chest was upsetting. But what's crazy was when they ended up doing my surgery on my knee, they actually told me that, 'Man, it's a good thing that you didn't play more games, you didn't practice more, because you needed to come here and get this procedure done as soon as possible.' So, if anything, it was a blessing in disguise. I don't regret any of the times that happen. I think it honestly has just made me a stronger person, it's going to make me a better player."

Matthews was traded, along with a 2018 third-round pick, to Buffalo for Ronald Darby last August. Matthews played in 10 games for the Bills, hauling in 25 receptions for 282 yards and one touchdown. 

Matthews suffered a chest injury in his first practice with the Bills, causing him to miss the remainder of the preseason. After mid-season thumb surgery caused him to miss one game in October, Matthews had his season ended early when he was placed on IR in early December because of a lingering knee issue. Soon after, Matthews had surgery performed on both his left knee and right ankle. 

Matthews dealt with ankle and knee injuries during his time with the Eagles. Matthews missed the entire 2016 preseason with a knee injury after taking a low hit in training camp. He would also miss two of the final five games of that season due to an ankle injury.

The knee injury, which the team officially termed as tendinitis, then caused Matthews to miss a good chunk of offseason work. At the first full-team training camp practice prior to the 2017 season, Matthews said he considered having offseason surgery on the knee but opted for rehab instead. 

Matthews is set to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent. 

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