Tennessee Titans rookie Kevin Dodd has foot surgery, but is expected to make quick recovery
Tennessee Titans’ rookie pass rusher Kevin Dodd is not on the field after a recent foot surgery, when will he be back?
According to a team report, Tennessee Titans rookie outside linebacker Kevin Dodd had surgery on his right foot on Thursday morning. However, his time missed is not expected to be significant.
“It is preventative,’’ Titans head coach Mike Mularkey said. “It’s not major. He is going to miss the OTAs and the veteran minicamp (next month) but he should be back for training camp. I think it was smart on all of our sides to get it done now.”
According to Ian Rapport of NFL Network, Dodd’s injury was a stress fracture that was discovered during rookie camp. Doctors inserted a screw to take care of the issue.
Dodd was the first of the Titans’ three second-round picks in the 2016 NFL Draft, as they nabbed him with the 33rd overall selection. Dodd was a productive pass rusher at the defensive end position in college, really coming on down the stretch in Clemson’s run to the National Championship game.
While his run defending skills fell behind, Dodd is an extremely fast and athletic pass rusher who could create consistent pressure on the passer. His ACC-leading 12.5 sacks were an impressive total last season, but Dodd never had a sack before last season.
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To be fair, he never really got an opportunity to prove himself on the field before last season, but Dodd could easily be considered a one-year wonder.
The Titans will have Dodd be playing outside linebacker in their 3-4 defense. He will probably mostly be asked to rush the passer early-on, but he will need to improve his skills against the run and prove that he can drop in to coverage if he expects to play a full-time role.
As long as Dodd can get back by training camp like the Titans expect, he should be just fine in his development. However, if this foot injury lingers, it is going to hurt his ability to learn enough early-on to make an impact as a rookie.
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