Three days after his 25th birthday, Falcons cornerback Isaiah Oliver was carted off the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium with what would eventually be diagnosed as a season-ending, surgery-requiring right ACL tear. Nine months later, Oliver is still working his way back onto the field, not fully ready to return, but not far off, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN. 
The advancement in science, medicine, and rehabilitation has affected so much about injury returns in the NFL. Comments worrying about if players will look like their former selves after an ACL-repair surgery are few and far between these days with many players not showing a hint of injury upon their return to full strength. The one thing that doesn’t seem to be too affected is the recovery timeline. The length of time it takes to return to the gridiron after a torn ACL remains lengthy, ranging from nine months to one year. Some doctors will permit returns after as few as six months, but a consensus full-recovery usually takes a bit longer.
With this timeline in mind, Oliver is perfectly on track. He spent six weeks on crutches and still required some time after to get comfortable off of the crutches. It wouldn’t be until three-and-a-half months after his surgery that Oliver would begin running again. Months worth of atrophy made it an unfamiliar feeling, but, slowly, Oliver returned to surer footing, with his teammates helping him as much as he wished he could help them.
“Just make sure you’re keeping him right and in a good head space,” cornerback AJ Terrell, Oliver’s teammate of the past two seasons, told Rothstein. “And just letting him know that we got him and just taking care of his body and get back as soon as possible.”
The injury couldn’t have occurred at a worse time for Oliver as he was four weeks into a contract year. Oliver hasn’t proven himself to be a ball-hawk, snagging only one interception in his career, but he’s shown his ability to separate the ball from an offensive player with 27 passes defensed and three forced fumbles in his first four years. He was also in the process of learning to play in the slot to give Atlanta a strong three-man cornerback group of himself, Terrell, and Fabian Moreau. If Oliver had showed success in expanding his versatility, it would have presented him with another bargaining chip to bring to the discussions over his next contract.
Fortunately for Oliver, the Falcons are giving him another opportunity at a contract year. Shortly after the season, Atlanta re-signed Oliver to a one-year, $2.39MM deal.
“I essentially get, like, a redo,” Oliver explained. “I get that year over again, being in the same system with the same team and the same guys.”
In May, seven months post-surgery, Oliver’s running started to feel more natural. Falcons secondary coach Jon Hoke claimed he “can see the significant growth” each week, while noting that there is still some progress to go.
Oliver participated in individual drills this offseason while continuing his rehabilitation. The next steps will come in camps and will begin to test Oliver’s confidence and comfort in real-time scenarios. Until then, Oliver will continue to plug away at his rehab with his teammates by his side.