The Dallas Cowboys have been looking to get a spark for the 2025 season as they are looking to get their talent healthy. One such player is cornerback Josh Butler, whose 2024 campaign was cut short after he suffered a torn ACL in Week 12 against the New York Giants.
It has been five months since he underwent surgery to repair the injured knee, and it is possible that Butler could return to the field against the Philadelphia Eagles to open the 2025 NFL season. On May 19, he took to social media to showcase where he is in his recovery process.
Josh Butler Shows Off His Return Progress for the 2025 Season After ACL Injury
Butler looked like he was beginning to grasp the speed of the NFL game during his rookie season in 2024. However, it was cut short due to a season-ending injury. Five months after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery, he took to Instagram to update his 440,000 followers on his recovery progress.
“Now granted, I’m not running full-speed, I’m just going to jog so y’all can see, like, how I move, I guess. And that’s how I look, that’s me at five months.”
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The rookie cornerback played five games (three starts) and had a good start to his career as he had 21 total tackles (17 solo, four assisted) with one sack and five pass deflections before suffering the season-ending injury. Butler was able to get time last season after both Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland missed extended time due to injury themselves.
Butler was signed in 2023 after a stint in the USFL. New coach Brian Schottenheimer also discussed the progress of the cornerback ahead of the season with some positive remarks.
“He’s doing great. He could potentially be on PUP [Physically Unable to Perform]. It’s really early still right now, but he’s doing great in his rehab. He’s here every day. He’s one of the first ones here, one of the last ones to leave.”
There is a big difference between placing a player on the PUP list and Injured Reserve. Dallas finished the season with a 69.5 defense+ grade, 25th in the NFL. If the team can see the cornerback get healthy and be a productive piece of the secondary, it would be an excellent sign for the team going into the 2025 season.
