After shutting down the top pick in last year’s NFL Draft, the Houston Texans have announced the Jadeveon Clowney knee surgery was successful. However, the microfracture procedure will keep Clowney out of action for the next nine months.
That puts Clowney on a timeline that has him missing some, if not all, of the 2015 NFL preseason, and perhaps a few regular season games as well.
That recovery calendar contradicts sources who told ESPN that Clowney could return before the start of training camp if he had no setbacks. However, nine months from now is early September. The first regular-season game of the current NFL season took place on September 4.
According to ESPN, the Jadeveon Clowney knee surgery was completed Monday, just three days after the Texans announced they were shutting down Clowney for the season.
Clowney has been hampered by injuries throughout his rookie season. The rookie had sports hernia surgery in June before even taking place in a practice, then missed part of the preseason due to a concussion he suffered while scrimmaging against the Denver Broncos. Clowney also had arthroscopic knee surgery early in the season to repair a torn meniscus he suffered in the Texans’ season opener.
Clowney also missed the Texans’ 21-31 loss to the Eagles with what was reported to be the flu, and after returning briefly re-aggravated his knee.
The linebacker was placed in the injured reserve last Wednesday before being shut down for the season two days later. Texans team doctor Walt Lowe then performed the microfracture surgery on Monday.
According to the ESPN report linked above, Houston Texans officials knew Clowney’s first knee surgery didn’t solve the entire problem. Apparently the surgery fixed his torn meniscus but didn’t address some articular cartilage damage that doctors also found.
At the time, doctors had hoped Clowney could get by without further repair, which seemed optional. However, after the linebacker missed six weeks and still didn’t seem right, team doctors and coaches determined the best course of action was to conduct the second surgery now in hopes of having a fully healthy Clowney back for the majority of the 2015 NFL season.
