Despite tearing his ACL in January, Casey Hampton says he’s confident that he’ll be able to play week 1, which would be a mere 8 month recovery. Players have made recoveries in that short of time from torn ACLs in the past. Wes Welker comes to mind and Adrian Peterson might be able to do a similar thing this year. Neither of those guys weigh the 340 pounds that Hampton does, but both have to do a whole lot more moving around than Hampton, who plays nose tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
I still wouldn’t be so certain. Hampton is no spring chicken, turning 35 right before the Steelers’ season opener. The Steelers have also drafted a nose tackle, Alameda Ta’amu, in the 4th round of the 2012 NFL Draft, and have talked up career backup Scott McClendon. I say it’s at least a 50/50 chance that Hamton starts the season on the PUP even though Hampton says he “can’t see that happening.”
This could be Hampton’s last season with the Steelers. He’s a free agent after the season and might not be welcomed back as the Steelers go to a youth movement on defense. He might not find another taker on the open market next offseason either so this could be his last year in the NFL period. If so, it’ll be 13 years in the league for Hampton, which is still a very impressive career.
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