'Fantastic Return': How Seahawks LB Jordyn Brooks Raced Back From Torn ACL
RENTON, Wash. - Holding onto the football for a few seconds and rolling out to his right, New York Jets quarterback Mike White dumped off a pass to tight end C.J. Uzomah in the flats and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Jordyn Brooks promptly raced in pursuit to push him out of bounds.
At the time, it looked like a normal play for Brooks, who had become one of the NFL's top tackling machines over the past two seasons. But after wrapping up Uzomah, the third-year linebacker's right leg buckled and he immediately clutched his knee as he laid writhing on the turf on Seattle's sideline. Carted off the field moments later, it became clear that the former first-round pick had suffered a serious injury.
Though the Seahawks went on to win the game 23-6 to keep their playoff hopes alive, those fears were confirmed when the team announced Brooks tore his ACL on New Years Day, a major blow for a defense that already had struggled with him in the lineup. On top of the immediate ramifications, with the injury occurring after the calendar had flipped to January and a lengthy recovery ahead of him, the team expected to be without him to start the upcoming season.
But fast forwarding less than eight months after surgery, Brooks remarkably passed his physical on Tuesday and Seattle activated him from the PUP list, capping off a rare feat rebounding from a torn ACL in such quick fashion.
“I just attacked the rehab from day one," Brooks told local media after Tuesday's training camp practice. "I know people were throwing numbers around, in terms of what the return timetable would be. I just went off how I felt, and it’s been a great process of getting back.”
Under normal circumstances, athletes typically need at least nine months to return to full activity after a torn ACL. Since he had swelling in his knee in the aftermath of the injury, Brooks didn't undergo surgery to repair the ligament until January 19, days after the Seahawks lost to the 49ers in the wild card round.
In recent seasons, running back Rashaad Penny and linebacker Jon Rhattigan suffered the same injury late in the second half of the season. Neither player opened the following season on Seattle's active roster, as both remained on the PUP list and didn't return until the second half of the season. Penny wound up playing in just three games, while Rhattigan suited up for five games down the stretch last year.
Not all recoveries are created equal, however, and throughout the spring, Brooks continued to check off milestones earlier than expected. After initially believing the player would be up against the clock to make it back in time for the regular season, coach Pete Carroll started to change his tune coming out of the draft as the team received updates on his progress, suggesting the defender could return for training camp.
On Tuesday, Carroll cautioned that Brooks still needed time to get back into football shape and wouldn't commit to him being available for the Seahawks in Week 1. But at the same time, for him to be where he's at this quickly off a serious injury, he has set himself up to be available against the Rams on September 10.
“Early in the summertime we saw him work. He sent us some of his workouts and you could see him going so we got our hopes up that he was on a really good pace to make it back," Carroll said. "But we’re not there yet. We still have to make sure we can guarantee that he’s going to be able to stay out. It’s a fantastic return. As good as he looks, you would never know there is something wrong with him. You cannot see it when you watch him run, change directions, and break on the ball."
While most players talk about the challenges associated with rehabbing from injuries as significant as a torn ACL, Brooks told reporters that the process never proved too difficult for him. Less than a week after surgery, he already was out of his brace and walking around, starting his cycle of being ahead of schedule every step of the way.
Once Brooks started transitioning into running and other workouts during the spring, his spirits were lifted rehabbing with teammate Jamal Adams, who missed most of the 2022 season with a torn quad tendon. The two star defenders worked out with the same trainer in Frisco, Texas, pushing each other as they worked back from severe injuries on a similar timetable.
With Adams attacking rehab with a positive attitude and a ton of energy, Brooks credited his teammate for being the "biggest boost" in his own recovery as the two had fun competing throughout the process and helping each other make progress towards returning to the field.
"His injury is a little bit worse than mine, but I say about June when we started running forties and stuff, we were definitely competing to see who could run the fastest 40. Of course, I beat him," Brooks smiled. "But the competition was great for both of us, as far as just like hey I see him getting better, it makes me want to do a little bit more to get better. It was great working out with him.”
In the short term, Brooks likely will be partaking in only walkthroughs for the next handful of practices, allowing him to get up to speed from a mental standpoint while continuing to work out with Adams before practice. Once he does get back into action in individual and team drills, he will be re-joining a defense with several new pieces, including the return of veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner.
With Wagner back in the Pacific Northwest, it remains unclear where the Seahawks will play Brooks alongside him, and Carroll declined to discuss the subject when asked about his position on Tuesday. But after swiftly working back into shape, the fourth-year linebacker doesn't care where he lines up and just wants to be on the field to make an impact for his team.
Equally unconcerned with his looming free agency after Seattle declined his fifth-year option in March, Brooks remains focused on the present and after spending the spring and first three weeks of camp watching his teammates from the sideline, he's looking forward to returning to his playmaking ways for a defense he expects to be much better than a year ago.
“I’m seeing guys having fun. It looks like guys are more bought in on what we are doing. The communication has been great from what I’ve been seeing at practice. It seems like a more collected unit. I think the more the guys get together, and continue to practice and play games, you see that chemistry kind of overflow. Hopefully, that will make us a better defense.”
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