Buccaneers DE Jason Pierre-Paul has been cleared by team and independent doctors to resume rehab activities, as Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network tweets. JPP still has a ways to go before he’s cleared to play, but this is obviously great news.
Pierre-Paul was involved in a one-car accident in early May and suffered a fractured vertebra. The fact that he was able to avoid surgery left open the possibility that he could play in 2019, though it sounded as if October would be the earliest he could see the field, and a November or December return seemed more likely.
That still may be the case, but at least things are trending in the right direction. As Jenna Laine of ESPN.com observes (via Twitter), JPP was on the practice field today and was not in the bulky neck brace that he had been in.
The Bucs are not a favorite to make the playoffs, and if Tampa Bay is out of contention by the time Pierre-Paul is ready to return, the club may elect to keep him sidelined for the whole year. But if there is even a glimmer of hope, adding the two-time Pro Bowler would be a major boost to the Bucs’ defensive front.
Pierre-Paul notched 12.5 sacks in 2018, his first season in Tampa Bay, and reestablished himself as a legitimate force to be reckoned with coming off the edge.
Should be like Gronk or Luck. Leave while you can. Already missing fingers.