I've read several articles on achilles injuries and I'm a little nervous for Dre.
They all say between 65% and 75% of players with achilles tears return to play. 25% to 35% are career enders.
In one study of 95 players who had achilles injuries, 71 (73%) returned to play. There were significant decreases in games played per season (11.67 games per year pre-injury vs 6.17 games per year postinjury) when averaged over the three seasons before the injury and the three seasons after the injury. There were also decreases averaging nearly 50% in power ratings of the returning players for the three seasons after the injury compared to the three seasons before the injury. This data indicates that even in players able to return to their former level of play, the quality of play may suffer permanently. Running backs and linebackers had significantly worse post-operative performance scores compared with pre-operative scores.
in another study, of the 31 players who sustained an Achilles tendon rupture, 21 (64%) returned to play in the NFL at an average of 11 months after injury. In the three seasons following their return, those 21 players saw significant decreases in games played and power ratings compared to the three seasons preceding the injury.
Now the good news. Here's a few players who came back just fine:
Demaryius Thomas
The late former Broncos star tore his Achilles in February of 2011, and it seemed likely he would miss the 2011 season. Instead, Thomas was able to play 11 games, and he racked up 32 catches, 551 yards and four touchdowns while serving as one of Denver's top wide receivers.
In 2012, Thomas broke out, catching 94 passes for 1,434 yards and 10 touchdowns while developing into Denver's No. 1 receiver. That began a string of five consecutive 1,000-yard seasons during which he made four Pro Bowls and was twice named an All-Pro second-teamer.
During that time, he showed no ill effects from the Achilles injury.
Terrell Suggs
He tore his Achilles during the 2012 offseason but was able to get on the field for eight games during the regular season. He had just two sacks in those contests but added two more during Baltimore's Super Bowl run.
Suggs followed up that season with a 10-sack campaign and logged 54.5 total after tearing his Achilles. He was 29 at the time of his injury, so he proved that some of the NFL's more veteran players could still come back and be productive after the injury, even if not right away.
Cam Akers
As mentioned earlier, Akers set the standard for torn Achilles recovery, returning to play for the Rams just five and a half months after suffering the injury during July training camp. He handled 72 carries for Los Angeles over four games during its Super Bowl 56 run.
And while Akers may not have been himself during that time, he was able to run for 786 yards and seven touchdowns on 188 carries in 2022. That 4.2 yards per carry average was the second-best of his career after his rookie season.
Source 1
Source 2
www.ninersnation.com
