Left knee rehabilitation is on the daily agenda at the Cincinnati Bengals facility.
Quarterback Joe Burrow is approaching 23 weeks post left knee reconstructive surgery, and simultaneously, the team’s starting center is nearing his own left knee rehab benchmark.
Bengals starting center Trey Hopkins is about to hit the four-month post-operation mark. The Bengals center tore his ACL in his left knee during the third quarter in the team’s 38-3 Week 17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
More:Fans make it obvious who should be in the Cincinnati Bengals inaugural Ring of Honor class
Hopkins had left knee reconstructive surgery on Jan. 20. Head Bengals physician and medical director Marc T. Galloway performed the procedure in Cincinnati. Hopkins updated The Enquirer about his left knee and his rehab process.
“My knee is doing well,” Hopkins said. “I’ve been blessed to have a pretty smooth run. It feels good. Everything I’ve been asked to do it hasn’t been an issue.”
Hopkins is rehabbing at the Bengals facility this offseason. He’s taking his rehab one day at a time while attempting to refrain from pondering about a potential return date.
“I try to look at it like work. All I know how to do is work anyway. It’s just more work,” Hopkins said to The Enquirer. “I go in there and do what’s asked of me. I run on it and push as hard as I can. So far in my career, that’s worked for me and that’s what I’m hoping gets me through this thing.”
The prognosis for an ACL tear is seven to nine months. Week 1 will be right around the eight-month mark for Hopkins. The Bengals starting center hasn’t ruled out a potential return to the field in the season opener, but he’s taking his rehab day by day.
When Hopkins is back healthy, Cincinnati’s starting offensive line could feature left tackle Jonah Williams, left guard Quinton Spain, Hopkins at center, right guard Jackson Carman and right tackle Riley Reiff.
Hopkins and Burrow established a good rapport at center and quarterback when they were on the field together. The Bengals hope they can both return sooner rather than later, but the club has abstained from putting a timeline on either of the starters.
The Bengals center signed a three-year contract extension with the team in December 2019. His contract runs through the 2022 season. Hopkins has been Cincinnati’s primary center for the past two years. He allowed one sack and 12 pressures in 938 snaps at center in 2020. The 6-foot-3, 316-pound Texas product was the Bengals’ most consistent offensive lineman last season.
Source link
