Packers defensive end Justin Harrell doesn’t know when he’s going to hit the football field again, but he knows he’s going to try.
The 2007 first-round pick, who has contributed practically nothing on Sundays to Green Bay, says he isn’t going to retire. He feared that his chronic back pain was going to threaten his career, but he’s been assured by doctors that he won’t do any long-term damage to his back by playing again.
“It’s one of them things I’m going to have to deal with as long as I play football, the back flaring up,” Harrell told the Green Bay Press Gazette “Hopefully, next time it happens, we’ll be more educated and it won’t take as long to get back out there.”
It remains to be seen if the Packers wait for him. A healthy Harrell would help provide depth for their new 3-4 defensive line, but the team may decide he’s not worth waiting for unless he gets back on the field soon.