In the end, there could be an injury silver lining for Tennessee after all.
In the aftermath of the deflating last-second loss to rival Florida, Tennessee head coach Butch Jones announced that Cortez McDowell would miss the remainder of the 2017 season. The linebacker sustained an injury to his wrist that, at the time, was deemed serious enough to shelve him for the rest of the year.
The key here is “at the time” as, a couple of days later, the prognosis has brightened slightly as Jones allowed Wednesday that McDowell could return at some point this season. Whether it’s late in the regular season or even for a bowl game, the coach at least left the door open for the senior to play again in 2017.
Obviously, any availability would be determined in the coming weeks by the program’s medical staff.
McDowell would be eligible for a medical hardship waiver if he shut it down for the remainder of the season, which would give the fourth-year senior another year of eligibility to use in 2018. At least at this point in time, that’s not the tack that either the player or the football program is taking.
After starting four of 12 games last season, McDowell started the first three games this season prior to his injury.