The Baltimore Ravens were concerned enough about Maxx Crosby's recovery from offseason knee surgery that theteam pulled outof its expensive trade for the pass rusher. His surgeon, however, believes Crosby is right where he needs to be in his recovery.
Dr. Neal ElAttrache told ESPN that Crosby is "doing an excellent job attacking his rehab," and that the timing of his physical with the Ravens was unfortunate, as the pass rusher's prognosis will improve the further out he gets from surgery.
ElAttrache's full statement read:
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"Maxx Crosby is doing very well in the early part of his rehab and recovery from surgery to treat a significant meniscus tear and the related stress injury to the bone and cartilage in his knee. He is certainly on track in his planned program … he feels very well and is already much improved compared to before surgery.
"We truly respect the work of the Ravens staff with Maxx regarding the contract physical exam. We also understand the challenge the staff faces when tasked to provide a future risk assessment based on an evaluation early in the recovery process. This is especially challenging when dealing with an elite player like Maxx considering the level of commitment necessary for a team to obtain him. The timing of this assessment is unfortunate because the apparent risk will lessen as his recovery progresses and his return to performance over the next few months becomes clear.
"At this point, Maxx is doing an excellent job attacking his rehab and his knee is responding very well. We look forward to Maxx returning to his elite level of performance this season as planned and for several more to come."
NFL teams interested in trading for Crosby, including the Ravens, reportedly had team doctors meet with ElAttrache, per The Athletic. Both Ravens doctors and independent doctors reportedly believed Crosby's short-term prognosis was positive, but hislong-term status was a much bigger question. That's ultimately what caused Baltimore to pull out of the deal.
It's tough to know what happens next for both Crosby and the Raiders. The team is reportedly open to every option,including keeping the pass rusherdespite splurging on free agents after it looked as though Crosby's salary was off the books. Teams less concerned about Crosby's medicals could re-engage the Raiders in trade talks, but the market for Crosby has lessened in the opening days of free agency. Teams that presumably would have given up significant draft picks have bolstered their defensive lines by instead signing players on the free-agent market.
Given Crosby's immense talent, it wouldn't be a surprise if trade discussions continued to take place. Whether a deal gets done could depend on how teams feel about Crosby's status after a closer look at his medical exams, something Crosby's surgeon says should improve the further the pass rusher is removed from surgery.
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