Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garçon chose to rest his injured foot last season instead of having surgery, a decision that got him back on the field for the final stretch but one that didn’t keep him from having an operation this offseason.
The operation wasn’t on his foot, however. Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said Thursday that Garçon had “chest” surgery after an injury suffered in the team’s playoff loss to the Seahawks. He wasn’t more specific than that, although Rich Campbell of the Washington Times reports that it was actually an operation to repair an injury to his labrum.
More significant for the Redskins is the fact that Shanahan is upbeat about Garçon’s recovery. He’s not doing team drills right now, but did catch passes from Robert Griffin III during Thursday’s workout and should be recovered in time to do everything at camp.
“I think Pierre, his rehab has been unbelievable,” Shanahan said, via Campbell’s colleague Stephen Whyno. “Anytime you get operated on like he did and you’re able to come back as quickly as he has, I was watching him this morning in the weight room and he was lifting weights that he shouldn’t be able to lift. And he feels very comfortable, and it’s been a slow process. But he’s in excellent shape, so I’ll be surprised if he’s not full-speed, ready to go once we go to training camp.”
Garçon had 44 catches for 633 yards in 10 games last season, numbers that the Redskins surely expect to rise if he can stay healthy in 2013. While you never want to see one of your players have surgery, it doesn’t sound like this operation is going to be a major stumbling block for Garçon come the start of the season.