2 min read • May 26, 2022
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Falcons head coach Arthur Smith broke big news Thursday morning in explaining why star linebacker Deion Jones isn't at OTAs.
Smith announced that Jones recently underwent shoulder surgery and will be out for the entire offseason program while recovering.
Jones missed Week 12 with a shoulder injury last season, but returned Week 13 and finished the season.
Shoulder injury concerns popped up before Jones was drafted in 2016, but he has missed just one game in the pros with a shoulder injury.
He reportedly suffered a left shoulder dislocation in high school, then had labral repair surgery before playing four seasons at LSU without any lingering issues.
In his news conference today, Smith referred to this recent surgery as a “clean up,” indicating that Jones' surgery was likely to the same left shoulder.
There is minimal risk of this injury lingering into the regular season and Jones should be able to play without issues, said Dr. David Chao, ProFootballDoc.
The main effect may be a delay of any potential trade in the works for him, Chao said. It is notoriously difficult to trade an injured player and teams can't even cut or release an injured player at this stage.
With OTAs underway, expect a steady stream of announcements about offseason surgeries, Chao said. Players often play through injuries knowing they will require surgery in the offseason.
Media and fans don't hear about those offseason surgeries until coaches or GMs address why certain players are absent from OTAs.
Rams' quarterback Matthew Stafford won't throw at OTAs because of a cortisone injection in his elbow this spring. Young 49ers quarterback Trey Lance also revealed that he dealt with a right index finger injury last season.
Those are just a few examples of what is sure to be a steady stream of NFL injury news over the next few weeks. Sign up for notifications here to get the latest on everything NFL from our team of Pro Football Docs.
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