Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb practised Monday, taking a few snaps with the first-string offence weeks ahead of schedule.
It marked McNabb's first action since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last Nov. 19.
Donovan McNabb tore the ACL in his right knee in a game last Nov. 19.
(Al Bello/Getty Images)
"It felt great to get back out there on the field with all of the guys," McNabb said. "It is just part of the rehab process.
"Hopefully, good things will continue to come. It's important to continue to monitor my progress, but also be smart about the whole situation."
McNabb wasn't expected to rejoin the Eagles until training camp commences July 27, but he participated in non-contact drills.
"He is where we hoped he would be," Eagles head coach Andy Reid said. "He worked very hard to get to this spot, so we let him test it out.
"We did not give him too much. We want to make sure he can move around [Tuesday], if possible, so we gave him a few shots and got him back to the ice tub. I thought he did a nice job — he looked strong."
McNabb has been throwing on the side for several weeks, but is still listed day to day.
"He has been working harder than what he did out here in the rehab process," Reid said. "But again, you get out there and get your juices going and you start banging that thing a little bit harder into the ground on your drops than you normally would, so we'll see how he does there."
McNabb was in the midst of one of his finest statistical seasons when he was injured in a 31-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
The five-time Pro Bowler had completed 180 of 316 pass attempts for 2,647 yards and 18 touchdowns with only six interceptions in 10 starts.
He also scrambled 32 times for 212 yards and three touchdowns.
McNabb has failed to finish three of the past five NFL seasons.
He was sidelined seven games by a sports hernia in 2005 and six games with a broken right ankle in 2002.
The Syracuse product is a 58.2 per cent passer as a pro, completing 1,898 of 3,259 passes for 22,080 yards and 152 touchdowns with 72 interceptions in 104 NFL games (98 starts) since being drafted second overall by Philadelphia in 1999.
With files from the Associated Press
