JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Dante Fowler Jr. didn’t expect to have any trouble sleeping Sunday night.
Though the Jacksonville Jaguars were beginning organized team activities on Monday morning, Fowler didn’t see that as a big deal even though he missed his rookie season with a torn left ACL. He had already been on the field for Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the offseason conditioning program.
However, he spent a lot of time staring at the ceiling.
"I actually did have trouble [sleeping]," Fowler admitted. "I found myself waking up. I tried to remember if I took a nap [earlier in the day] but I didn’t, so I knew what it was. I was just antsy and ready to get out here."
That’s certainly understandable considering it had been 380 days since he suffered a torn left ACL on the first day of rookie minicamp a week after the Jaguars took the former Florida standout with the third pick in the 2015 NFL draft. He hadn’t worn a helmet since that day.
The Jaguars limited Fowler’s reps at defensive end on Monday and the plan is to do the same on Tuesday. If his knee handles the back-to-back days of work, he could be a full participant when the team gathers for the third OTA on Thursday.
Fowler did get some 11-on-11 work, including a play in which he beat left tackle Luke Joeckel with an inside move that would have resulted in a sack.
"It felt good just to get back out here and move around and just to showcase some stuff, especially on the first day," Fowler said. "We’re in shorts and helmets. We’ll really see how it is with pads on, but today I just really wanted to come out here [and] make it through a practice, you know what I mean? Just get the feel of it again and just be around the guys and feel happy again."
Coach Gus Bradley certainly was.
"I thought Dante looked really good," Bradley said. "Still [has] some work to do and he has a little bit of rustiness. We’re holding him back a little bit. He’s not getting the same reps as everybody else. We just want to see how he comes along, how he handles it, but attitude and work ethic, man, unbelievable. Unbelievable."
The 6-foot-3, 261-pound Fowler is wearing a brace on his left knee but said he’s not limited physically. Or mentally, either. Though he wasn’t able to practice with the team last season, he did attend meetings and accompanied the team on road trips, and that helped him gain an understanding of the defense so he’s not behind learning the system this year.
He also said he didn’t have the mental block that some players experience when coming back from an injury, either.
"I wasn’t thinking about it," Fowler said. "I’m just now soaking it all in, like, man, I made it through a practice. I felt good. This didn’t hurt. That didn’t hurt. I felt good. Dr. [James] Andrews and [team physician] Dr. [Kevin] Kaplan, [head athletic trainer] Scott [Trulock], they did a great job with me through this whole year and just being with me. I really appreciate them and thank them for that."
The only issue Fowler had in the offseason was a video posted on TMZ.com that showed a fight between two women connected to second-year defensive end. On Monday, Fowler said had spoken with the league office about the incident and said he was told he will not face any disciplinary action
"Of course I regret it, especially with that being my family and things like that," Fowler said. "I don't want guys to think that I just want women to fight each other. I love women and I love my mom. I'm actually a mother's guy, very sweet-hearted guy. I don't want any women or anybody to get a certain type of perception of me and things like that. It was totally not like that. I apologized for the situation."
Fowler said he’s now worried about helping a Jaguars pass rush that has struggled to get consistent pressure over the past three seasons.
"I’m ready," he said. "I’m just trying to prepare myself to be ready first game when we go out there when it’s time to win. It’s no pressure at all. I feel good. I felt good out here running around. My body’s getting in shape. I haven’t felt this good in a long time."