Report: Now-healthy Jeff Okudah had surgery on both sides of core in offseason

The Lions second-year corner is ready for training camp, but it appears his offseason surgery was more invasive than previously reported.

Back in December, Detroit Lions rookie Jeff Okudah saw his rookie season come to an early end when the team decided to place him on injured reserve with a groin injury. Soon after, we learned that Okudah would undergo core surgery to help repair that injury that had lingered since his days at Ohio State.

On Wednesday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport added a bit of detail to that surgery, noting that Okudah “repaired” the other side of his core, as well, simply as a precautionary measure.

“While he tore a core muscle on one side in ‘20, he actually had surgery to repair both by @DrWilliamMeyers,” Rapoport tweeted. “Meyers repaired the non-injured side for precaution because if you tear one, you often tear the other.”

If you’re wondering what any of this means, core surgery is an extremely common procedure for athletes who are dealing with what is often referred to as a sports hernia. Dr Jesse Morse, a resident physician at Creighton University who also does worth for TheFantasyDoctors.com, provided a little clarity on the injury on Tuesday.

“This is a common yet frustrating injury. The surgery is rough and the rehab afterwards but once players recover they are good. OBJ had it in 2020,” Morse tweeted.

But why would Okudah get his core repaired if Rapoport referred to it as “non-injured”?

“Tighten it up,” Morse replied.

The good news here is that this is all now in the rear-view mirror. Okudah is healthy for training camp, which is scheduled to begin in exactly one week. With a clean bill of health and a full offseason to learn under the new coaching staff, here’s hoping for a big Year 2 jump from the Lions cornerback.