Falcons training camp 2017: Julio Jones is at tail end of his recovery from offseason foot surgery

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones knows how much work is ahead of him in 2017. He’s arguably the league’s best wide receiver, so no matter who is directing the Falcons offense, Julio gets leaned on his fair share and more. And that’s exactly why the team is taking their time with him during training camp

Julio underwent foot surgery during the offseason. The surgery was an elective one to remove a bunion (turf toe) that bothered him for most of last season. Julio played through the pain, and he could have skipped the surgery altogether, but he went ahead with it in early March. He’s now almost five months post-op. So how’s he feeling? Here’s what Julio had to say about his foot earlier today.

“My foot’s great. Ya know, we’re just being smart. I still get my conditioning in, I run routes, I do things, I’m in and out of the huddle. I’m in the scheme. Just everything, right now. Today was the first day of pads, I’ll probably do a little more tomorrow. We’re just one day at a time with me. They know what I can do. We’re not here to rush anything, or anything like that. But the overall goal is to be ready to go by the start of the season.”

You should do yourself a favor and watch his entire interview. Julio is a consummate professional and we’re lucky he’s on this team. (Don’t miss the part where Julio shouts out Roddy White for helping to make him the pro he is today.)

Back to the foot. The team is taking a pragmatic, careful approach here, and that’s to be expected. We knew the recovery time was 4-5 months, and he’s at the tail end of that timeline now. Expect him to take a few weeks to ramp up. Try not to panic in the interim. Carry on, everyone.