When the Saints drafted Greg Romeus in the 7th round a year ago, he was damaged goods. They took a flyer on him anyway, because when healthy he was that good. After suffering a “redshirt” rookie season that saw him spend it on IR, I was excited about what the 2012 version of Greg Romeus could do to help the team. It’s kind of embarrassing that I wrote that blog exactly one month ago today because Romeus, just yesterday, tore his MCL and ACL in his other knee and he’s now officially out for the season… AGAIN. In case it wasn’t clear, Romeus didn’t play in 2011 because he was recovering from blowing out his other knee.
You can’t blame the Saints, they took a low risk on a player that would have make an impact if he could have turned around his injury fortunes. It happens. It was still a good draft pick in the 7th round and one that would have been lauded for years if it had worked out. Instead, it’s now hard to imagine Greg Romeus will ever get to see the field in a regular season game with a Saints uniform on. I’m not ready to count the guy out completely, because there have been players that have bounced back from being injured in their first two years. If there’s good news here, it’s that Romeus is young enough that he can possibly bounce back and still make the team next year. Kellen Winslow, Jr. is an example of a guy that’s still in the league and performing well, 8 years after being drafted, even though he missed his first two NFL seasons almost entirely. In 2004 he broke his leg and in 2005 he tore his ACL. Still, Winslow is in the overwhelming minority. Chances are, Romeus is done.
Even with a return to health on a reconstructed knee, Romeus will be slower, he’ll have to deal with constant swelling and problems, and he’s know earned the tag as a major injury risk. One injury is bad enough to tarnish a player’s reputation, but a second injury (this time non contact) is enough to give them a label. Most teams don’t invest a 53 man roster spot in guys like that. Some guys, though big and extremely athletic, just don’t have the bodies that can take the pounding of an NFL career. Maybe Romeus has just been unlucky, but that’s a lot of bad luck in just 3 short years. Romeus also has no track record with the team, so he’s behind the 8 ball in that he’s still trying to impress the team and staff as a player that can actually make a difference if healthy. Next year he’ll try to do that on two bum knees.
It’s a long road ahead for Romeus, and it’s just something as fans we never like to see. We all wish him the best of luck in his recovery, and his attempt to bounce back from this and come back stronger.
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