Not long after Josiah Deguara tore the ACL in his left knee in the second game of his NFL career, his father, a pastor in their hometown of Sacramento, sent him a quote from world-renowned pastor and bishop T.D. Jakes.
“A setback is a setup for a comeback.”
Deguara changed the background on his phone so he’d see the phrase every day. It has remained that way since, as the Packers’ 24-year-old tight end trudges toward a return from the season-ending injury suffered with less than two minutes left in a Week 4 game against the Falcons.
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“It’s a minor setback, and I’m ready to come back stronger and better than I was before,” Deguara said in a phone conversation. “And that’s truly what I believe and know through all of this. It’s not only going to make me a better player but a better person. I’m more grateful for the game and everything that goes along with it. I’m not going to take anything for granted. It really makes you appreciate everything that comes along with being in the league.”
Green Bay drafted Deguara out of Cincinnati in the third round last year, and coach Matt LaFleur was giddy at the thought of using him in a multitude of ways — as an H-back, as a blocking tight end, as a pass-catcher and maybe even more. When discussing, during the season, how All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander seems older than he is because of how he carries himself, Davante Adams offered unprompted praise of a rookie tight end who had played one career game at that point.
“A guy who’d compare to him on offense is Josiah Deguara,” Adams said. “He’s kind of the same way, where you kind of forget they’re as young as they are.”
Rookie @JosiahD5 brings a strong work ethic & football acumen to pair with his "Swiss Army knife-type" versatility. 📰 https://t.co/SIemjd3K4x
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) June 30, 2020
LaFleur evidently had big plans for Deguara considering the rookie played 24 offensive snaps against the Vikings in Week 1, but a minor ankle injury sidelined him for the next two games against Detroit and New Orleans.
Then, while blocking for a JK Scott punt in garbage time of an eventual 30-16 win over Atlanta in Week 4, Deguara was, as he put it, “table-topped.” Packers long snapper Hunter Bradley lunged toward Falcons defensive end Steven Means, who had gotten past him. Instead of diverting Means, Bradley landed awkwardly into the left leg of Deguara, who was being pushed back by Falcons linebacker LaRoy Reynolds. Five trainers surrounded Deguara on the field as he clutched his facemask. He unstrapped his helmet, craning his neck forward as he lay on his back, eventually using the outstretched hands of two trainers to stand up before limping off the field with assistance.
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Deguara tore his labrum during his redshirt freshman year at Cincinnati, but he wasn’t going to play much anyway. This was a far more significant injury, both in physical severity and the time at which it occurred. Deguara was just taking off, and now his rookie season was over.
“I felt great coming off the Minnesota game and then kind of got set back with my little ankle injury, then came back for Atlanta, then got hurt again,” Deguara said. “Kind of just an unfortunate series of events. … Obviously super bummed what happened during the Atlanta game and getting ruled out for the season. But the team had a great year. Obviously, I wish I was out there. I thought I would be able to contribute.”
I promise this scores a TD in 2020
Split gun throwback screen to Josiah Deguara with Ervin orbit motion juuuuuust sniffed out. Love the design – look at all that eye candy and misdirection!!
Favorite play design of the week from Matt LaFleur pic.twitter.com/ZaOv4ctgsH
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) September 16, 2020
Deguara underwent surgery on Oct. 22, 17 days after the injury. He then began the grueling rehab process, which included morning rehab sessions at Lambeau Field. He attended as many meetings as possible and hung around teammates as often as he could. When the Packers practiced, Deguara lifted weights to avoid the risk of being accidentally hit while standing on the sideline.
“That’s pretty much all I’ve been doing since I got hurt, lifting and rehabbing,” Deguara said. “That’s about all you can do when you get injured, which isn’t a bad thing. I’ve been doing it since I got surgery. It’s just part of the grind … It’s my daily life right now and I’m ready to get back to 100 percent and start doing normal football activities.”
Deguara’s goal is to be ready for training camp in late July. That would be less than nine months since he tore his ACL, but he sounds confident such a quick return from such a severe injury is possible. So far, there have been no setbacks in his recovery.
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While the physical aftermath of tearing an ACL is taxing in itself, perhaps even more so is the mental aspect.
“As football players, we always think of ourselves as mentally tough people,” Deguara said. “But really, up until this point, I never went through anything as challenging as this. … You go through ups and downs in the season and with injuries, but also ups and downs in life. Having a season-ending injury, especially so early in the season as a rookie, too, I think just proving to myself that I’m able to handle anything that’s thrown my way and that God’s in control of everything and leaning on that and knowing that if I just do my part and do everything to come back, I’ll be able to handle anything coming my way.
“From a physical aspect, that’s what being an athlete is all about. Going in for four or five hours a day and rehabbing and lifting. Obviously, it’s hard right after surgery, but for the most part that’s what we do. That’s what we’re made for. For sure, the mental aspect is really hard, especially just not being around the team as much as I would want to, not being around meetings and practice and everything, that was really tough, for sure. … I felt bad for myself a few days after the injury, but right after that, it’s ‘go time’ and the goal is to get back to 100 percent. Definitely credit to my family, friends, faith that have gotten me through it, the mental aspect. But yeah, the mental definitely trumps the physical when it comes to the injury aspect of it. It is definitely overlooked a little bit.”
Deguara has been in Green Bay rehabbing since the injury — he finally leaves Saturday for Sacramento — and has stayed busy with activities not called rehab, too. His girlfriend bought him an indoor putting green. He owns an Oculus virtual reality headset, on which his go-to games are ping-pong and golf. He’s also trying to become more of a reader, having finished Tim Tebow’s “This Is the Day: Reclaim Your Dream. Ignite Your Passion. Live Your Purpose,” and Tony Evans’ “Detours: The Unpredictable Path to Your Destiny.”
“It’s really just a book that talks about detours in your life and how to overcome them,” Deguara said. “And that’s perfect for the time I was going through.”
Deguara says “was” like his rehab is in the past. Though it’ll continue for another couple of months, he talks like someone who will be in full pads wearing No. 81 in training camp, traditional ACL recovery timetable be damned.
“Being out (of it) gives you an appreciation for the game, and my love for the game is at an all-time high,” Deguara said. “Every time I go out there, I’m going to give it all I got. Just to be able to be back out there is going to be awesome. I’m looking forward to it.”
(Photo: Nick Wosika / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
