Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby expects to be back fully by week one after tearing his ACL late last season.
Since getting traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, veteran cornerback Ronald Darby has struggled to remain healthy. Despite being the number one cornerback on the roster from the moment he joined the team, Darby has missed quite a lot of time. Back in 2017, Darby arrived in Philly late in the summer and was forced right into a preseason game against none other than his former team, the Buffalo Bills. Although he wasn’t entirely familiar with the defense, the Eagles weren’t going to waste time with him. He was the clear-cut CB1 for their secondary.
That was until Darby went down with an injury almost immediately. As soon as he got settled into his role with the Eagles, week one quickly became a disaster for Darby. Before the first half even concluded, Darby was carted off the field for a non-contact injury. Typically when that happens, a players season is in jeopardy. Fortunately for Darby and the Eagles, that wasn’t the case. Though he would miss half of the season, Darby would have a speedy recovery from his dislocated ankle.
The following year was expected to be a big one for Darby as he was not only healthy — but he was also getting a full offseason to prepare with Philly without getting shipped off somewhere. Darby had an impressive start to the year, but he also had his low moments as well. All in all, Darby was a solid contributor for the Eagles’ secondary, but like most guys on the defense, Darby ended up dealing with a non-contact injury. This time, it was Darby’s ACL, and his season was over.
When will Darby make his way back?
Since Darby’s unfortunate ACL tear occurred in December of 2018, he’s still not ready to go at practice just yet. Over the last few weeks, Darby has been present at Eagles OTAs, but he hasn’t done much other than stretching and spectating. Behind the scenes, though, the veteran cornerback is able to get a solid workout in with his rehab. As Darby mentioned on Wednesday, he’s been able to get up to ’22 miles-per-hour’ while running.
Will he be back in time for training camp? Well, that’s unknown right now. However, it is believed that Darby may not get a full recovery by August. Sure, he can be limited by the time the physical part of the offseason kicks in, but his return will be cutting it close to seasons start date in September. Darby is optimistic he’ll be ready by week one, but nobody is sure yet.