Devin McCourty underwent shoulder surgery at an unreported time following Super Bowl LII. ESPN’s Mike Reiss described the surgery as a “clean-up procedure.”
Reiss added that the surgery was “not considered major in nature.” It’s unclear when McCourty suffered the injury and how long he played through it, but he first appeared on the injury report with a shoulder injury in Week 17 against the Jets.
The Patriots safety played 97.1 of the team’s defensive snaps in the regular season, plus all 75 defensive snaps in Super Bowl LII.
The Season That Was
Zach Ertz of the Philadelphia Eagles scores an 11-yard touchdown past Devin McCourty of the New England Patriots in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LII. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Like almost the entire Patriots defense, McCourty struggled in Super Bowl LII against the Eagles. Eagles tight end Zach Ertz burned him on his go-ahead touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter. Reiss also noted that McCourty often had to defend the run down low, a challenging assignment for a 5-foot-10 safety against offensive linemen and big running backs like LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi.
It didn’t make it any easier for McCourty that he apparently had to play through a shoulder injury. But as long as you’re on the field, Bill Belichick certainly expects you to do your job and make plays. Injury or no injury, 2017 added up to a down season for the 30-year-old McCourty.
Ultimately, expect him to be back in 2018 and have a rebound season. The defense will certainly need it from him in order to improve upon the disappointment of the Super Bowl.
— By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.