Kaleb McGary returns to individual drills after heart procedure

Atlanta’s second 1st-round selection Kaleb McGary last practiced on July 30. The team announced the next day that he was going to undergo cardiac ablation. McGary had undergone the same procedure twice before to fix an irregular heartbeat, but despite the scary sound of the issue, the team and medical professionals were certain this should be a minimal issue.

McGary had the surgery and is back at practice after only a few weeks, per Justin Felder of Fox 5.

McGary is not expected to return to team drills for at least a few more weeks, and the problem is not his heart.

The team announced McGary would take blood thinners after undergoing cardiac ablation for four to six weeks to prevent complications. The use of blood thinners increases the chances of internal bleeding, so the Falcons will keep him away from any high impact work until he’s completed the process.

As discussed Monday, McGary will still have a process after he’s cleared for contact. Ty Sambrailo is both injured and laughably ineffective so far, so McGary’s speedy returned would be preferable. However, McGary still needs to practice, get in playing shape, then battle for the starting position. A week 1 debut is probably still unlikely.