Despite that — though perhaps not surprisingly given Welker’s history of beating the odds — there he was yesterday in full pads. Welker did positional drills and some route-running work, but when it was time for 11-on-11 contact, he did not participate. During the morning, he worked with trainer Joe Van Allen, as he did prior days of camp. Van Allen tethered him self to Welker with a bungee cord as Welker worked on getting off the line; the resistance is aimed to help the wideout regain his explosiveness.
Surrounded by media after the early practice, Welker declared that he was not yet 100 percent, but nonetheless he was happy to have taken this important step.
“It feels good. It doesn’t feel like I ever left it,’’ he said. “It feels good out there. It feels good to get out there with the teammates and do some things.’’
Director of player personnel Nick Caserio revealed at the start of a pre-practice news conference that Welker would be removed from the PUP list.
“He passed the physical, so it means he’s deemed ready to go by our training staff and the doctors,’’ Caserio said. “He’s ready to go now. He’s deemed physically ready to go based on the tests and what our trainers have decided, so he’ll be out there.’’
If there were a playoff game next weekend, Welker would be able to play, but his schedule has been centered around getting him ready for the Sept. 12 regular-season opener against Cincinnati.
So although Welker could have participated in contact drills, the thinking is there’s no reason to push him too hard just yet.
“That’s up to the doctors and the coaches, seeing when I get out there with the team in full drills and things like that,’’ Welker said, when asked about his limited participation. “Whenever they think that it’s ready, I’ll be out there.’’
On the opening day of camp, coach Bill Belichick said it is the last 10-20 percent that is the hardest for a player to recover off an injury like Welker’s.
