You've probably heard by now that the Oakland Raiders' rookie corner Chimdi Chekwa is having a little shoulder problem. By my untrained medical opinion, I am going to say that his shoulder is not really attached to anything. There hasn't been an official word on the injury, but his arm is in a sling.
And while the Raiders aren't saying what the injury actually is, Hue Jackson told reporters that the injury could be at least two weeks.
Okay, so let's just say it is a shoulder separation. Here is what fftoolbox.com has to say about shoulder separations:
The acromioclavicular joint is where the collarbone attaches to the shoulder. A separation at this involves the stretching (first-degree), partial tearing (second-degree), or complete tearing (third degree) of the ligaments which hold these bones together. A first-degree separation can take 7-10 days to heal, a second-degree separation usually takes between 2 and 3 weeks for recovery, and a third-degree separation can take as long as 3 months to fully heal.
So combine this diagnosis with Hue's statement that it could be at least two weeks, and I'm guessing that we are looking at a second-degree separation. So continuing right along on my reckless uneducated prognosis, I am thinking this will put Chekwa back on the field in contact situation in three weeks, and that is right on the borderline for the Raiders second preseason game with the 49ers on August 20th. Jump over for more....
I am crossing that game off. It is hard to see him being ready for game action by then. This is going to leave Chekwa with only two preseason game and three weeks of practice for the start of the season. And this is the corner that an overwhelming percentage of us had said would be the starting nickel corner in Week One.
It is hard to see that happening now. With no OTAs rookies were already on an accelerated time table. Now Chekwa is going to be forced to pick things up at a rate that it would be foolish to expect a first-round draft choice to be ready to play let alone a fourth-round rookie.
Beyond that, a week of practice in training camp equates to over two weeks of practice during the season.
I'm not saying that Chekwa won't be able to contribute this season, I am just saying his timetable just got pushed back. I can't see him being ready to step onto the field for any significant number of snaps until at least Week 5.