Top Eagles receiver out 6 months after major surgery
One of the many heroes of the Philadelphia Eagles’ first championship season since 1960 was Alshon Jeffery.
The 28-year-old wide receiver, who signed a one-year deal with the Eagles last March after five years in Chicago, led Philadelphia with nine touchdown receptions in the regular season.
The Eagles rewarded him with a four-year, $52 million extension in December.
In the playoffs, Jeffery was even more impressive.
He had a team-leading 219 postseason receiving yards and three touchdown catches — including an amazing 34-yard grab against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.
Even more impressive is the fact that Jeffery did all that while playing with a torn right rotator cuff.
#Eagles WR Alshon Jeffery had successful surgery this morning on a torn rotator cuff, sources say. He suffered it in training camp and played through it, somehow, on the way to a Super Bowl.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 21, 2018
Jeffery initially suffered the injury in training camp, but he decided to play through the pain — and it paid off when he and his teammates earned a Super Bowl ring.
Now, however, the bill has come due for his heroics.
Jefferey underwent surgery Wednesday to repair a “full tear” of his rotator cuff, and ESPN reports he might not be ready for the 2018 season.
A source told ESPN’s Josina Anderson that he will miss “at least six months.” It is “very likely” Jeffrey will be out for the preseason, according to the source, and his return for the regular season, while expected, is not a certainty.
Jeffery isn’t the only question mark for the defending champions heading into next season.
Quarterback Carson Wentz tore his ACL and LCL late last year, and it’s unknown whether he’ll be ready for the Eagles’ season opener.
An expert on injuries like Wentz’s said this week that it’s very unlikely.
“The meter has changed from ACL recovery from six months to nine months,” said Dr. John Kelly, an orthopedic surgeon at Penn Medicine and has been in practice for more than 25 years. “This is an ACL plus, at least, two ligaments. … What I saw in the video, he had at least three ligaments on the outside of the knee damaged. That requires reconstruction; that’s a long rehab. And if it were my patient, I’d be thinking nine, 10 or even 11 months.”
Fortunately for Philadelphia, it’s in better shape than most teams would be facing such injury issues. The Eagles have two other quality wideouts (Torrey Smith and Nelson Agholor) along with a backup quarterback in Nick Foles who’s the reigning Super Bowl MVP.
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