NFL

Jets safety Leonhard says rehab on schedule: report

Jets safety Jim Leonhard says his rehab from broken leg is on schedule and going well, according to NJ.com.

Leonhard is a little over three months removed from the freak injury that required surgery to implant a rod into his leg. His fractured tibia is nearly healed, and Leonhard has been cleared to increase the intensity of his workouts.

He said he hopes to resume his usual offseason workouts in a month or so.

“They’re letting me be a lot more aggressive with the rehab,” Leonhard said, according to the website. “Until that bone has completely healed — and we’re pretty close now — they tried to hold me back, didn’t want to do anything to have setbacks. Now, they’re starting to give me more.”

After joining the Jets in 2009, Leonhard played in 27 consecutive regular-season games before the injury shut him down for the rest of the 2010 season.

Leonhard said there have been no setbacks in his rehab, and he has been using an anti-gravity treadmill that reduces 50-60 percent body weight. The treadmill has allowed Leonhard to rebuild his cardiovascular stamina while alleviating stress on his lower body.

“I have plenty of time,” Leonhard said. “I’m not necessarily trying to get back for summer. I think I will be if we have OTAs and things like that, but it’s not a huge rush. I’ll be ready for training camp, and I feel confident I’ll be back much sooner than that.”

But with NFL’s collective bargaining agreement set to expire, it’s unclear if there will even be a training camp, let alone a season. If the players were locked out, Leonhard would be unable to communicate with Jets head athletic trainer John Mellody or the rest of the training staff. However, Leonhard would be permitted to contact the team doctors who performed his surgery, who in turn could talk to Mellody.

“Everything is set up for me to have success in my rehab,” Leonhard said. “It’s annoying more than anything knowing I can’t go straight to the source for information when and if the lockout happens.”