Lane Johnson will delay surgery, play in postseason

 

 

 

Reuben Frank

EAGLES INSIDER

Lane Johnson will delay surgery on his torn adductor and try to play in the postseason, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The report was confirmed by NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark.

Johnson, the Eagles’ four-time Pro Bowl right tackle, suffered the injury with five minutes left in the Eagles’ loss to the Cowboys Saturday night at AT&T Stadium and did not return to the game. 

Johnson, selected to his fourth Pro Bowl team last week, is the best right tackle in football when he’s healthy, and he’s played as well as he ever has this year. According to Pro Football Focus, he hasn’t allowed a sack since a game against the Browns in Cleveland in November 2020 and hasn’t allowed a quarterback hit since the Raiders game last October.

Can Johnson function at a high level playing on an injury that is expected to require surgery? We’ll see. But at this point in his career now in his 10th season with the Eagles he’s earned the right to try.

The Eagles will clinch a 1st-round bye with either a win over the Saints Sunday at the Linc or against the Giants a week from Sunday at the Linc. If they earn a bye, they will play the weekend of Jan. 21-22. If they don’t, they would open up in the postseason the weekend of Jan. 14-16. 

If the Eagles are off wild-card weekend, Johnson would have a month of rehab and recovery, as opposed to three weeks if the Eagles don’t secure the top seed. 

Jack Driscoll is likely to replace Johnson at right tackle, although Jeff Stoutland does have the option of swinging left tackle Jordan Mailata to right tackle and playing former 1st-round pick Andre Dillard at left tackle. 

Driscoll, a 4th-round pick in 2020, has started 14 games in his career, including four at right tackle as a rookie and a fifth last year at right tackle. He also started eight games at right guard last year and one game – at Arizona – this year at left tackle.

The Eagles, 13-2, are ranked No. 1 in the NFL in offense at 29.7 points per game. They’re No. 1 according to PFF as a pass blocking unit with Johnson with an 81.9 grade and No. 10 in run blocking.

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/eagles-lane-johnson-will-reportedly-delay-surgery-play-postseason-nfl-2022

I have serious doubt Johnson can play with this injury. He’ll give it a valiant try, but I foresee him starting the first playoff game and then exiting before halftime and being done.

I truly hope Driscoll is up to the task

2 hours ago, EaglesAddict said:

I have serious doubt Johnson can play with this injury. He’ll give it a valiant try, but I foresee him starting the first playoff game and then exiting before halftime and being done.

I truly hope Driscoll is up to the task

I kind of feel the same. I mean I don't know what a torn abductor feels like but a torn anything is going to be hard to play through. 

Love his heart. But agreed. Don't know if I like his decision. 

 

They will give him proper pain killers. He'll be fine.

A little info on adductor strains:

These injuries can be graded. A grade I strain is a mild strain. There is a slight pull without obvious tearing (that is, the tearing is microscopic). There is no loss of strength, and the muscle and tendon are the correct length. A grade 2 strain is a moderate strain. There is tearing of fibers within the substance of the tendon, at the bone-to-tendon junction, or at the muscle-tendon junction. The length of the tendon or whole muscle-tendon-bone unit is increased, and there is usually decreased strength. A grade 3 strain is a complete rupture of the tendon off of the pubic bone.

Results from one study on adductor longus tears in NFL players are shown here: Fourteen NFL™ players were treated nonoperatively, and 5 players were treated with surgical repair using suture anchors. In both groups, all players eventually returned to play in the National Football League. Mean time for return to play was 6.1 ± 3.1 weeks (range, 3-12 weeks) for the nonoperative group and 12.0 ± 2.5 weeks (range, 10-16 weeks) for the operative group (P = .001). One player in the operative group suffered the complication of a draining wound and heterotopic ossification. Players represented a variety of positions, and 12 of 19 (63%) had experienced prior symptoms or events. (Reference = Theodore F. Schlegel, etal. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, Vol. 37, No. 7 2009). Nonoperative management includes NSAIDS with stretching and massage therapy, and a 3-6 week gradually progressive rehab program. 

link: https://www.nychernia.com/adductor-longus-sprains-tears-athletic-pubalgia/