After being involved in a scary car accident that put his 2019 NFL season in jeopardy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul received positive news regarding his neck injury on Friday.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Pierre-Paul visited with three independent doctors and received consensus agreement that his fractured vertebra will heal on its own.
This is great news for Pierre-Paul and the Buccaneers given there was significant concern he would need surgery and miss the entire 2019 season.
According to the report, Pierre-Paul will be re-evaluated by doctors in four months and then have a plan set out for when he can return to the football field. While the expected return is five-to-six months, there is some hope he could return even sooner.
The 30-year-old is coming off a 2018 season that saw him record 12.5 sacks in 16 games. He is likely to begin the season on the physically unable to perform list, which would keep him out through at least the first six games of the season.