Melvin Gordon’s knee operation last December has been revealed to have been microfracture surgery, per Michael Gehlkin of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Typically viewed as a kiss of death for professional athletes, Gordon and the Chargers are optimistic that he’ll be a full go for the 2016 NFL season.
“The Chargers running back participated in on-field drills Monday,” Gehlkin writes. “Afterward, he acknowledged he is not yet 100 percent, still working back from a January knee procedure. Sources said that Gordon underwent microfracture surgery and was given a recovery timetable of four to six months.”
When the San Diego Chargers selected Gordon in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft (No. 15 overall), trading up two spots to do so, they expected big things from the running back.
Unfortunately, not only were big things not the norm, he struggled to produce on a Trent Richardson level, averaging just 3.5 yards per attempt. He looked tentative and lacked the explosion that was commonplace during his tenure at Wisconsin.
He finished the season with just 641 rushing yards in 14 games, and the worst part is that Gordon failed to reach the end zone even once.
Then, the injury, which turned out to be scarier than a simple cartilage tear. His surgery date was January 5, per Gehlkin, which puts him on track to be ready for training camp, if the initial timetable holds up.
For Gordon, that’s not up for debate.
“I’m getting better. I’m getting better,” Gordon said. “I’m not where I want to be, but I think I’m ahead of schedule. I’m sprinting pretty well. I’m cutting. … No question, I’ll be ready for training camp. I’m not even worried about that.”
For the sake of the Chargers’ offense, Gordon needs to be healthy and productive.
Philip Rivers doesn’t have many seasons left in his body, and while the offensive line looks to be improved he’ll still take a beating without a strong rushing attack to back him up.
Behind Gordon on the depth chart is third-down back Danny Woodhead and a bunch of guys the average fan hasn’t heard of. That doesn’t preclude one of them from breaking out — we see that happen all the time. But the Chargers need Gordon to pan out, after having given up so much draft currency to land him in the middle of Round 1 last year.