A torn ACL suffered in the preseason opener wrecked Washington Redskins running back Derrius Guice's rookie season before it began.
Guice then endured infections from surgery that set him back as he underwent three additional procedures to address the issue.
"Once that was finished I was back to rehabbing," Guice explained in an online diary, via the Redskins' official website. "Everything kind of got back on schedule, but my timeline was off because I wasn't working out for two months.
"I had to play catch-up, so I had to work a lot harder and spend a lot more hours here, getting rehab in the weight room, catching up on my running and stuff. It was tough, when I already started over in August, and then I had to start over again in December. It was kind of like, what's going on?"
The recovery process has improved since December, and Guice writes that he is back to sprinting straight ahead. Lateral movements at full speed, however, will need to wait until the team's second-round pick of the 2018 NFL Draft continues to regain strength in his legs.
Guice, whose rehabilitation regimen includes exercises focused on hamstrings and glutes, says "we're right there" in the process and he has posted videos on social media chronicling his recovery at the team's training facility.
He stopped short, though, of saying when he'll return to action.
"We don't even talk about timelines, we just take it week to week," Guice said. "I'm still strong as an ox. We're getting it back."
Meanwhile, Guice has time before training camp kicks off in late July and he certainly appears optimistic about his health. But how the team views his progress will go a long way in determining what happens in the backfield with Adrian Peterson eligible to become an unrestricted free agenct in March.
Washington signed Peterson to a one-year deal to bolster depth in the weeks following Guice's injury, and the team could elect to bring back Peterson as insurance if the price is right for both parties.
Peterson, who turns 34 on March 21, led the team in rushing last year with 1,042 yards and seven touchdowns on 251 carries. Having Peterson back in the mix would allow Washington an opportunity to take it easy on Guice until the young running back is 100-percent ready to resume a full workload.
