Jameis Winston ACL surgery comes with good news

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston underwent surgery to repair an ACL injury last week, but it came with some good news.

According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Winston’s surgery did not involve his MCL, as was initially feared. That is because Winston’s damaged MCL was considered strong enough to heal on its own.

Jameis Winston's ACL surgery last week by Dr. Neil ElAttrache did not include an MCL repair, per source. Despite damage, ligament was considered strong enough to heal. That's good news for Winston, who rehabs in L.A. and projects to start non-contact drills in about six months

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) November 18, 2021

At the very least, it means Winston’s injury isn’t quite as severe as it could have been. Initial reports indicated that there was “potential” damage to Winston’s MCL, and while that may be true, it could have been much worse.

Winston suffered the injury on Oct. 31 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He will miss the rest of the 2021 season. It looks like he has a chance to be ready in 2022, however.