Las Vegas Raiders safety Johnathan Abram is among those looking forward to a fresh start in the 2020 NFL season.
Abram’s rookie year did not go quite as planned after suffering a torn rotator cuff and labrum in the 2019 NFL season opener against the Denver Broncos. As a result, he was sidelined for the rest of the 2019 campaign after undergoing surgery and being placed on injured reserve.
Although it was hardly an ideal start to a career, Abram still got to spend the season learning the ins and outs of being a professional in the NFL. More importantly, he has made tremendous strides in his recovery.
According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, he is about 90 percent healthy and ready to get back on the field:
He is off the shelf and said he is currently at 90 percent, last week benching 185 pounds 10 times in his training sessions in Dallas.
“I cannot wait to get back out there on the field,” Abram said.
Abram also stressed the importance of making sure the Raiders stay healthy next season after an injury-plagued 2019 season in which they finished 7-9 and missed the postseason:
“We just have to get better week in and week out,” Abram said. “And we have to stay healthy. That may have been our biggest issue last year. We have a lot of talent. Some people may have thought our rookie class was a surprise, but not me. I knew what we were all capable of.
“We may have had some success that we weren’t ready for, and ended up throwing it all away. But we are a young team and we learned from that.”
If there is a silver lining to the injury, it is that Abram got an opportunity to analyze firsthand where this team’s shortcomings were. His comments indicate that their inability to deal with the early success ultimately led to their undoing down the stretch.
It is clear that the time off has paid huge dividends for Abram’s recovery as well as his overall psyche in dealing with the ups and downs that occur in such a grueling season. There is good reason for him to be excited as the Raiders get set to usher in a new era at Allegiant Stadium next season.
Abram had to witness his fellow members of the 2019 NFL Draft class become immediate impact players during their first years in Oakland. Although he is not surprised to see how well they have transitioned to the next level, there is no question that he is anxious to make his presence felt as a former first-round pick.
