When Cleveland Browns rookie running back Trent Richardson was first revealed to be getting arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, the feeling was that he'd be good-to-go right around the time the regular season came around. After having successful surgery, the Browns noted that they are hopeful he'd be able to return by Week 1 against thePhiladelphia Eagles.
On Monday, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal posted an update on Richardson. He's been spending all his time at the Browns' headquarters since the successful surgery. Head coach Pat Shurmur had a quote, in which he reiterates that the team is "hopeful" that Richardson will return by the start of the regular season:
"Trent's here and he's getting better," Shurmur said. "When he's ready, he'll be out. But he's here. He's here all day long doing his thing trying to get healthy."
Shurmur is hopeful Richardson can return by the start of the regular season. But Shurmur said he had no further update on a timetable for when Richardson is expected to be back.
Richardson is expected to be a large part of Cleveland's offense in 2012. Last season, Cleveland came out of the gate with a surprisingly strong defense and were contending in the division for a time, before their weak offense started to drag behind. Richardson is likely to shoulder the entire offense, alongside quarterback Brandon Weeden, also a rookie first-round pick.
The surgery was to remove a cartilage fragment that could have led to injury in the future. Like most arthroscopic surgeries, it was a simple affair with a low recovery time. Barring any setbacks or information we don't know about, there's a solid chance that the Browns will hit their target date and Richardson can debut in the regular season against the Eagles the first week.
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