The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are close to getting Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis on the field, according to reports and general manager Mark Dominik.
"You don't want to push," Dominik said. "You want to stick with your plan. But we may want to get him on the field Week 3 of the preseason, get a few series in, get it over with, get it out of his head, so that Week 1 in New York he's ready to go."
Revis tore his anterior cruciate ligament in Week 2 of the 2012 season against the Miami Dolphins, and missed the remainder of the New York Jets' disappointing season. Prior to the torn ACL, Revis was almost universally considered the top cornerback in the NFL.
Now, coming off a serious knee injury, Revis might have something to prove. He is hoping to start the process during the preseason so he can be on the field in the season opener against his old mates at MetLife Stadium.
Revis played in 7-on-7 drills on Monday for the first time since suffering the injury, and travelled with the team to New England for the Bucs' joint practices with the Patriots. Despite the progress, there's little to no chance of Revis participating in Friday's preseason game against New England.
The Buccaneers were one of the NFL's worst pass defenses in 2012, and will need Revis to be in prime form to fix the serious issues. Tampa Bay also paid a fairly hefty price; they sent the 13th pick in the 2013 draft to the Jets as well as a third rounder next season that kicks in if Revis is still on the roster. If Revis isn't with Tampa Bay by then, it likely means the Jets still won the deal.
In addition to the price in picks, the Bucs inked Revis to a pricy six-year, $96 million contract. On the plus side for the organization though, the deal is not guaranteed.
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