Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean’s bid to return from a torn patellar tendon is taking him to a place that’s unfamiliar to most football players.
Dean suffered the injury to his knee during the team’s victory over the Packers in their playoff opener and he’s hoping that stepping onto the dance floor will help him get back on the field sooner rather than later. Dean has been training with a Philadelphia ballet company as he tries to return to full strength.
“There’s way more flexibility, of course. Way more mobility,” Dean said, via NBCPhiladelphia.com. “It’s definitely something that’s helping with my rehab. You just feel a change immediately. After you stretch, you’re not as tight or as sore.”
Dean is not the first NFL player to look to ballet for help with preparing for the gridiron. Hall of Famers Walter Payton and Lynn Swann also dabbled in that area, so Dean is in good company as he looks for any way to speed up his return to action this offseason.
