Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey is nearing his return to game action after exceeding all expectations and recovering from his knee surgery faster than originally anticipated. The 28-year-old underwent knee surgery in late July, and, on October 18, the Dolphins opened Ramsey’s three-week practice window.
A Trim Rather Than a Full Repair of the Torn Meniscus
Sources say that the reason for his swift return to action was the type of injury he sustained. Even though initial reports claimed that Ramsey would need a full repair to fix his displaced meniscus tear, it turned out he sustained an outer meniscal tear that only necessitated a trim rather than a full rebuild.
The good news for Ramsey was that players generally recover from both injuries. However, with a full repair, the expectation is that a player would be out for five to six months. That explained the initial prognosis that Ramsey would be out of action until December.
With an outer rim meniscal tear, though, players recover more quickly, as that area gets better blood flow and heals faster. Returning to action in a little over three months after undergoing the surgery, Ramsey will be in the higher percentiles when it comes to the speed of his rehabilitation process.
Ramsey Could Soon Return to Action
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel was impressed by Ramsey’s determination to return to action as soon as possible. McDaniel said that he had never been around someone undergoing that long of a recovery process that didn’t miss a single team meeting or practice.
If all goes to plan, Ramsey might play for the Dolphins as early as next weekend or in Week 9. However, despite saying that there was “a fair chance” that Ramsey could return to action before Miami’s bye in Week 10, the coach didn’t want to set a target date. McDaniel said the Dolphins would take it one day at a time, but that he was “cautiously optimistic.”