Many were concerned about Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons’ February ACL tear when the team selected him in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
But it’s looking like he may be able to take the field much sooner than anticipated.
According to Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, the rookie is “far, far further along than the average player would be” in his recovery.
Simmons is currently on the Physically Unable to Perform list, but there is always the possibility he could start the season on the active roster — or at least it hasn’t been totally ruled out.
Simmons could make his first NFL appearance in Week 7 against the Los Angeles Chargers at the earliest.
Obviously, the Titans won’t rush Simmons back into active before he’s at full capacity, though.
Adding Simmons into the mix of a defense that is already stout would make the Titans even stronger as they look to make a playoff run in 2019.
The Titans will open the regular season against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 8 at 12:00 p.m. CT in FirstEnergy Stadium.
