This Year's Comeback Stories
Daniel Jones tore his Achilles on December 7 during a game against Jacksonville and has been a full participant at Colts camp since it opened, less than eight months later. He's not alone. Green Bay tight end Tucker Kraft is working back from a torn ACL and logged his first practice since the injury. Saints defensive tackle Bryan Bresee is feared to have suffered a torn ACL of his own during camp. And 49ers receiver Ricky Pearsall will miss the entire 2026 season after undergoing knee surgery. Different injuries, same underlying question for every one of these players: what does a team actually measure before trusting a rebuilt joint or tendon in a live game?
What "Cleared" Actually Means
Being cleared to practice isn't the same as being cleared to play at full speed, and it's not the same as being fully recovered athletically. Sports medicine staffs generally use a layered return-to-play protocol, and explosive testing sits near the top of it:
- Strength symmetry: The injured limb typically needs to reach roughly 90% of the uninjured limb's strength on squat and leg press testing before more explosive work begins.
- Vertical and broad jump testing: Single-leg hop and jump distance are compared side to side. A meaningful gap between the surgical and non-surgical leg is one of the most common reasons teams hold a player back even after strength numbers look fine.
- Sprint mechanics: Timed sprints get analyzed for stride symmetry and top-end speed compared to the player's own pre-injury baseline, not just a league-average number.
- Change-of-direction and reactive testing: Cutting, planting, and reactive agility drills come last, since they load the joint in the least predictable ways — and for skill players, they're often the true gatekeeper for a return to full contact.
That's why "full participant in camp" and "will look like his old self in Week 1" are two different claims. Jones has said himself that his focus right now is "getting more explosive, getting stronger" — explicitly athletic testing language, not just pain or mobility.
Why the Timeline Varies So Much by Position
A quarterback's return-to-play threshold looks different from a running back's or a defensive lineman's, because the explosive demands are different. Jones needs push-off power and change-of-direction ability in the pocket, not top-end sprint speed. A skill player like Pearsall needs closer to full symmetrical explosiveness before a team is comfortable exposing him to contact, which is part of why some ACL and knee recoveries end up being season-long even when the surgery itself was successful. Kraft, as a tight end who needs to both block and separate, sits somewhere in between — which is why "first practice back" is genuinely a bigger step for him than it might look from the outside.
| Player | Position | Injury | 2026 Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Jones | QB, Colts | Achilles tear (Dec. 2025) | Full participant in camp |
| Tucker Kraft | TE, Packers | Torn ACL | First practice back |
| Bryan Bresee | DT, Saints | Feared torn ACL | Evaluation ongoing |
| Ricky Pearsall | WR, 49ers | Knee surgery | Out for season |
The Takeaway
"Full go" at the start of camp is a real milestone, not just a talking point — but it's a milestone in a longer testing process, not the finish line. The players worth watching closest over the next few weeks aren't just the ones cleared to practice; they're the ones whose explosive numbers in camp start closing the gap with who they were before the injury.
2026 In-Season Injury Case Studies
The comeback benchmarks above apply well beyond ACL and Achilles tears. These are the notable 2026 injuries we covered, and what each player's athletic profile says about the risk.
Deshaun Watson — two Achilles tears
Watson returned to game action for the first time since October 2024, after two Achilles tears, and outplayed Shedeur Sanders in the Browns' quarterback battle. His return sits at the long end of the 9-to-12-month window covered above, because he had to come back from the injury twice.
De'Von Achane — non-contact torn ACL
Achane's season ended with a non-contact torn ACL against the Chiefs, weeks after he signed a $64 million extension. His 4.32-second 40 is one of the fastest ever run by a running back, and his return-to-play testing will measure whether that top-end speed comes back.
Jaxson Dart — MCL, PCL and meniscus
Dart tore his MCL, PCL and meniscus against the Rams, ending his regular season. He never tested athletically at the combine, so his college and pro rushing production is the only baseline his recovery can be measured against.
Breece Hall — quad strain
Hall left Week 3 with a right quad injury and was listed week-to-week. His 4.39 forty and 40-inch vertical made him one of the most explosive backs ever tested, and quad strains hit exactly the muscles that produce that explosiveness.
Justin Jefferson — ankle sprain
Jefferson sprained his left ankle in Week 3 and missed Week 4. His 4.43 forty at the 2020 combine was faster than scouts expected, and ankle sprains are the injury most likely to dull a receiver's change of direction.
Caleb Williams — hamstring
Williams went down against the Vikings and was listed week-to-week with a hamstring injury. Off-schedule scrambling puts mobile quarterbacks in repeated high-speed sprints, which is why soft-tissue injuries recur for this player type.
Jayden Daniels — dislocated elbow
Daniels dislocated the same left elbow for the second straight year, against the Cowboys, and Marcus Mariota started Week 3. His explosive rushing profile is part of the risk: designed runs and scrambles expose quarterbacks to the hits that cause these injuries.