NFL 2022: McCaffrey, Young, Ramsey among key players returning from injuries

By Dr. Matt Provencher
FOX Sports Injury & Performance Analyst

Season-ending injuries can have widespread effects on players and teams that can often last for an extended time.

Our data shows that the impact of these injuries, and the subsequent surgeries, can last into the next season and even longer. Understanding the injuries, past player performance and a multitude of other variables that affect return to play can help paint a better picture of future performance.  

There are a number of notable injuries from last season that we will be closely monitoring as we head into the 2022-2023 NFL season. 

Chase Young, DE, Washington Commanders

Among the biggest news coming out of Commanders camp is still that Young will miss at least the first game of the season against the Jaguars.

Chase, who tore his ACL and had it reconstructed in November, is not quite ready to return to game action. As we talked about in our previous ACL article, these injuries usually take nine to 12 months for a full return. Additionally, many times there is also knee meniscus, cartilage, or other ligament damage that must be addressed as well. These things can lead to swelling, motion, pain and strength concerns.

Outside of ligament and surgical healing time, strengthening and stability play a huge part in the return-to-play timeline. It is unclear whether Young hasn’t reached sufficient strength levels or if he is having trouble with swelling or pain. But one thing is certain: He is not quite ready for game-play situations. I would even venture to say he will probably miss more than just the first week of the season, and that the athletic training room will become a necessity pre- and postgame for treatments throughout the season.

We know that ACL tears impact performance, and even though Young is an amazing athlete, we will most likely see decreased productivity from him when he returns to the field. For a defensive end of his stature coming back to play after an ACL injury, our data shows that we can see up to a 44% decrease in snap percentage when compared to pre-injury performance.

Darius Shaquille Leonard, LB, Indianapolis Colts

Leonard, who is now known as Shaquille, battled through last season after ankle surgery. Then in June, he underwent surgery for his lower back. The back may have been related to a nerve entrapment issue (usually due to a lumbar spine extruded disk), and this will take a bit of time to rehabilitate and recover and cause him to miss some camp time.

However, we see him coming back for the regular season and in shape to compete. The real question is what does this mean? Back injuries are tricky, and nerve issues are even more so. 

The good news is that once nerve issues are fixed (via a lumbar disc decompression), it can have a lasting and drastic improvement on performance. Unlike other back operations that can cause negative effects on performance, generally if a nerve issue is fixed, a player can perform at an even higher level. 

If this back surgery did fix issues in firing his calf and musculature surrounding his ankle, then we can expect a great year from Leonard. 

Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals

Burrow underwent an appendectomy on July 26 and is missing some time at the start of Bengals training camp. Coach Zac Taylor isn’t worried about his return, saying: “We don’t expect him to miss a step.”

Appendectomy recovery usually takes two-to-four weeks, and we have seen a number of players return closer to the two-week mark. The team will be careful with the 2021 Comeback Player of the Year, but we don’t expect to see any effect on his usual high level of performance.  

Keep in mind that we will also be monitoring his knee — Burrow tore his ACL and MCL in November 2020 and came back with a vengeance following that surgery.

Jalen Ramsey, DB, Los Angeles Rams

The Super Bowl champions are playing it safe with Ramsey considering he signed a five-year, $100 million extension in 2020, with $71.2 million guaranteed. 

Ramsey has started training camp on the PUP list after an offseason surgery to fix the AC joint in his left shoulder. He played all of last season with the injury in both shoulders. Though non-op treatment was considered — as it always should be — he opted to have surgery in the offseason with the goal of stabilizing the AC joint to reduce pain and improve strength and function in the shoulder.

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