When Aaron Dobson missed mini-camp in June after undergoing foot surgery in March, chances appeared slim that he’d return to the field for training camp in July.
Not anymore.
With the New England Patriots’ first training camp practice just two weeks away, there is now “optimism” that the second-year wide receiver will be ready to go in time, a source told Masslive.com’s Nick Underhill on Monday.
Dobson spoke with reporters at a youth football camp at Merrimack College on Tuesday but declined to give any definitive update on his status.
“I don’t know, it’s hard to say,” Dobson said, via the Boston Globe. “I’m taking it one day at a time, rehabbing hard, just to get back out there as quick as I can.”
The 22-year-old receiver showed flashes of potential as a legitimate deep threat in his rookie season in New England but was also hampered by his nagging left foot injury that caused him to miss four regular season games.
“It’s frustrating, but I’m just trying to stay humble and do what I can do to stay fresh on everything — still thinking about plays, upper-body lifting, core, everything that I can do that can help me benefit on the field while I was down,” Dobson said.
The source added that while it’s too early to be certain of Dobson’s status, this marks the first time that anyone has had an optimistic update about his injury.
Dobson’s original timetable projected that he’d be ready for minicamp in June.
