Daily Brews: Donovan Edwards played through a torn patella tendon last season

Every Michigan fan knew running back Donovan Edwards was tough, but this takes it to an entirely different level.

Speaking at a Michigan Wolverines-related event over the weekend, Edwards was discussing the rehab for his right hand, when he dropped the news of his knee rehab this offseason as well.

Per ESPN:

“I had two screws in my hand and broke my thumb against Nebraska. What you guys did not know is that I played on torn patella the whole season. I got that fixed up and had surgery in February. I’ve been rehabbing now and I’m up to par now running, cutting, doing all that good stuff.

“That recovery wasn’t gonna take long. Four months to get to full speed and three months for me to feel good. I’m starting to trust myself now. Trusting myself with cutting and getting to my top speed — all that good stuff again, which isn’t gonna be hard for me.

“I wasn’t going to like allow that to stop me. My leg would’ve to have been cut off for me to not play. Same thing with like the broken hand. Just put a cast on it, although I was just carrying it in my non-dominant hand. You know, just gotta do what you gotta do to come up successful and win the game.”

Apparently, Edwards sustained the knee injury in Week 2 against Hawaii and had been playing despite the pain and limitations for the majority of the season. This further explains why Edwards was unavailable against UConn and Maryland in the subsequent weeks after Hawaii.

Edwards finished the season with 991 rushing yards (901 after Week 2), 200 receiving yards (163 after Week 2), and nine total touchdowns (seven after Week 2). He played a key role against Ohio State and Purdue in the Big Ten Championship after Blake Corum was out for the season due to a knee injury.

While Edwards’ grit and determination are admirable, the injury history is starting to feel overwhelming. The situation is starting to feel like “not if, but when” will he be sidelined during the season.

Hopefully, a more even split of the carries between Corum and Edwards will help preserve the health of the best running back room in the country.