When Chargers running back Ryan Mathews fractured his clavicle, the prognosis was for an absence four-to-six weeks before he could return to the field.
It hasn’t been three weeks since the injury, but Mathews is looking to speed up that timetable any way he can. He’s been using a bone stimulator to accelerate recovery and thinks that it is doing the trick.
“I’m definitely ahead of schedule,” Mathews said, via Scott Bair of the North County Times. “I’ve always been a fast healer, and that’s proving true right now. My range of motion is improving and I’m feeling really good. I’ve been staying upbeat about an unfortunate situation, and everything I do right now is about getting healthy. Honestly, I can’t wait to get back on the field.”
Players aren’t always the most reliable judges of their own rehab timelines, which is why the Chargers’ medical staff will have the final say on when Mathews is back to a full workload. The Chargers aren’t likely to push Mathews back too quickly if there’s any chance of re-injury that will wind up keeping him out for a longer chunk of the season.
Mathews could still be in the lineup come Week One, but any confident assertions about his status for that game will have to wait at least another week.