We have some clarity on Ola Adeniyi’s injury that had him in the operating room Friday morning. Per the PPG’s Gerry Dulac, Adeniyi has a meniscus tear in his knee. The injury is expected to keep him out 2-4 weeks, which will put him up against the Week One opener in New England. The odds are likely against him playing in Foxborough.
While the news certainly could’ve been much worse, it’s a setback for the promising sophomore. He enjoyed a stellar camp but will certainly miss the rest of the preseason. Losing that valuable time figures to make him the #4 OLB whenever he does return behind TJ Watt, Bud Dupree, and Anthony Chickillo.
This is the second injury he’s suffered since entering the NFL. In 2018, Adeniyi suffered a hamstring pull in the preseason finale, placed on IR before Week One, and wasn’t activated until Week 10. He wound up playing only nine defensive snaps his rookie year.
Adeniyi will still make the 53 man roster and barring any setback, shouldn’t be an injured reserve candidate, but it will create more opportunities for guys like Sutton Smith and Tuzar Skipper to play this preseason. Smith returned to practice yesterday after missing time with some sort of hip injury and should make his NFL debut tomorrow against the Kansas City Chiefs.
More on this kind of surgery from Dr. Mel from a few years ago!
