Success Stories: NFL Players Who Came Back Stronger After Injury

Athletes who play for the NFL (National Football League) carry an awesome responsibility in needing to stay fit and healthy for their teams. This is due to many reasons – the dedicated fans whom athletes would hate to let down by not playing, the management for whom they owe a large amount of their careers to and for themselves, for training day in and day out to compete at such a high level and make it into the impossibly competitive NFL ranking. 

Scouts know this well, taking a chance on a player can feel like investing in the unknown, which can be scary but in these cases, the athletes who experience injury and where management thought their investment was over – these players not only fought their way out but came back stronger. True sports player success stories.

NaVorro Bowman

Bowman defied all odds. As anyone interested in football knows, the strength and flexibility that players need to showcase daily is high. Bowman had an excellent career with the 49ers during the years of 2011 – 2013. His linebacking skills were graceful yet brutal to watch and he executed each defense with precision. However, during an NFC (National Football Conference) championship game at the end of 2013, Bowman was unfortunately involved in a major collision that would leave him off the field for the entire 2014 season. During the third NFC title match that he performed in with the 49ers, Bowman sadly tore all the knee ligaments in his left leg. The internal pain and shock that Bowman had to endure is something that many players never come back from. The physical operation procedures, physiotherapy and then training to get him back to the shape he was in at the end of the 2013 season is another thing that many players would shy away from, but one thing Bowman is not is someone who is scared of a fight. Bowman took the injury like the champion he is and came back swinging. He performed so well in the 2015 season, that many experts claim his comeback as one of the singlehandedly best comebacks in NFL history, with 116 solo tackles to show his power. 

The scout that chose NaVorro Bowman made a good choice. Scouts never know which NFL draft pick is the correct choice, they have a hunch and follow how the football market looks e.g., which player are other scouts interested in. It’s not like trading in stock, the charts and figures that people get on how to use TradingView that show which stock is going up or down are not the same in NFL as it’s people you’re dealing with. However, whoever chose Bowman, put his money on the right player, that’s for sure.

Teddy Bridgewater

Another true success story, only this one took over a year to happen. 

Bridgewater played for the Vikings and was their first draft pick back in 2014. With a lucrative deal in hand and nothing to stop him, everyone thought Bridgewater was destined for success and greatness. However, only two years after signing his first deal, he was severely injured in 2016. He unfortunately experienced a bad ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tear and dislocated his knee. This is extremely bad for a professional athlete who is at the beginning of his career, especially as athletes of this caliber can only perform for so long, the career span is not very long due to the grueling nature of the sport. Bridgewater gave it all he had during the year that he was off, he spent countless hours in and out of doctors’ offices trying to get better. However, as a professional player used to being on the field, being told to stay still and not move is not something that many professional athletes do well. Many often injure themselves further during the rest period as they try to get on their feet too early and then have to start from scratch in their recovery. Bridgewater was made of something different, he came back with full force during the middle of 2017 and signed with the Panthers for a three-year deal worth 63 million dollars. Now, that’s how you bounce back. 

Thomas Davis

A true thing of wonder. Thomas Davis defied all odds by recovering from the many injuries he had. 

Davis experienced three ACL tears, the same one mentioned with Bridgewater. Davis tore the ACL in his right knee three consecutive times. Over the years 2009, 2010 and 2011 Davis experienced the brutal pain of what it feels like to tear your ACL. Many people thought that even after the first tear, Davis would not recover. However, he not only recovered but went back to tearing it two more times and that did not stop him from showing up on the field year after year. Tearing your ACL is not usually something people bounce back from, coming back from it after it happens once is already a marvel. To be able to say that you’ve recovered from a tear like this three times over is truly incredible. The amount of time, strength and endurance it takes to handle this injury is incredible and Davis never showed any signs of it getting him down. Also, who can forget the time Davis broke his arm during the NFC championship title game and simply continued to play until his team, the Panthers, beat the Cardinals. Davis went for surgery the very next day and recovered from that too, to come back and fight another day. 

Take A Chance

The stories of these three remarkable players are nothing short of extraordinary. The scouts and management that took a chance on these players have something to be proud of as they truly found the diamonds in the rough. It’s not easy to know which players are going to come back fighting. Many players are chosen on their physical capabilities but overcoming an injury is mental, so it’s a real chance that scouts are taking when picking new players. However, it’s safe to say that in these three cases, the reward greatly outweighed the risk.